Commerce minister calls for data sovereignty, secure AI and integrated digital systems to strengthen trade policymaking
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan has called for stronger safeguards for confidential government data, secure domestic artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and sovereign cloud infrastructure to protect sensitive official information.
The minister raised concerns over the use of publicly available foreign AI platforms for confidential government work, stressing the need for clear guidelines, greater awareness and secure domestic alternatives to prevent sensitive correspondence and institutional data from being transferred to unauthorised external systems.
Jam Kamal held separate meetings with representatives of the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) and Sky47 to discuss the development of a secure, integrated and AI-enabled digital ecosystem for the Ministry of Commerce and its attached organisations.
The discussions focused on treating government data as a national asset, strengthening sovereign cloud and data-centre infrastructure, enabling secure data exchange and deploying AI for evidence-based trade and export policymaking.
Commerce Ministry seeks integrated trade data system
Jam Kamal said the Ministry of Commerce held extensive information covering thousands of tariff and product lines, exporters, international markets, trade bodies, chambers of commerce, business associations and overseas trade missions.
He stressed that the dispersed information needed to be standardised and integrated so authorised users could access it through secure and decision-friendly systems.
“Pakistan’s trade data is a valuable national asset. It must be protected, properly classified and transformed into actionable intelligence for exporters, businesses and policymakers,” he said.
The minister called for stronger connectivity among the ministry’s various wings and attached departments, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, chambers and trade associations, and Pakistan’s trade officers stationed in more than 55 countries.
He also stressed the need to integrate the ministry’s digital portals to provide a unified view of trade activity and market intelligence.
PDA briefs minister on data governance
The Pakistan Digital Authority briefed the minister on the emerging national framework for data governance, data exchange, enterprise architecture and cloud adoption.
The meeting considered classifying government data into categories including open, shared, restricted and personally identifiable information, while ensuring that ownership and control remain with the relevant ministries and public bodies.
Participants stressed that government departments should share only the information required for a specific purpose rather than transferring complete datasets.
The proposed data-exchange mechanism would enable secure, standardised and traceable interdepartmental access while helping prevent the misuse of confidential and personal information.
The participants also discussed a national digital master plan under which sector-specific digitalisation roadmaps could be developed in coordination with federal and provincial governments, public institutions and the private sector.
AI to support trade policymaking
Jam Kamal highlighted the potential of AI to analyse trade trends, identify export opportunities and generate market-specific policy recommendations.
He said an indigenous AI platform trained on authorised government and sectoral datasets could become an important tool for economic planning and public service delivery.
The meeting with Sky47 focused on data-centre capacity, sovereign cloud services, cybersecurity, disaster recovery and the growing computing requirements associated with AI.
The Sky47 team briefed the minister on its data-centre infrastructure and plans to expand secure hosting capacity in Pakistan.
The minister was told that modern data centres could provide highly reliable services aligned with international standards while reducing the costs and security risks associated with fragmented departmental facilities.
The discussions also covered energy-efficient cooling systems, intelligent data storage, metadata management, data-fabric technologies and separate computing requirements for conventional applications, AI models and future quantum-computing workloads.
Pakistan needs local capacity for critical data
Jam Kamal stressed the need for adequate local capacity to host critical national data within Pakistan.
He said domestic infrastructure would help ensure data sovereignty while creating opportunities for innovation and investment in cloud computing, AI and digital services.
The meetings also examined reforms in public-sector technology procurement.
Participants highlighted the need for cloud-procurement frameworks that would allow government organisations to acquire infrastructure, platforms and software as services without relying on lengthy and outdated procedures.
The minister supported closer coordination among the Pakistan Digital Authority, Ministry of Commerce, Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO Pakistan) and other stakeholders to develop mechanisms supporting startups and innovators.
Such frameworks could allow successful prototypes developed in response to government challenges to move towards transparent, fast-track procurement and wider deployment.
Open Network for Digital Commerce discussed
The potential establishment of an Open Network for Digital Commerce, adapted to Pakistan’s requirements, was also discussed.
The proposed network could digitally connect producers, exporters, logistics providers, financial institutions and consumers while creating new opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Jam Kamal reiterated his concerns over the use of publicly available foreign AI platforms for confidential official work and called for clear rules, greater awareness and secure domestic alternatives.
He directed the relevant teams to continue technical consultations and prepare practical proposals for secure data integration, sovereign cloud adoption, AI-enabled trade intelligence and digital-commerce infrastructure.
The minister said the Ministry of Commerce would work with the Pakistan Digital Authority, Sky47 and other stakeholders to ensure that Pakistan’s digital transformation contributes directly to export growth, improved governance, innovation and long-term economic competitiveness.