By Kamran Muraad
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ISLAMABAD, Jul 03 (APP): Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Thursday reviewed the progress of the Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy, a key component of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif鈥檚 鈥淒igital Pakistan鈥 vision.
While chairing the second meeting of the Steering Committee on Digital Gender Inclusion, she said, 鈥淭he heart of the Prime Minister鈥檚 digital vision is a gender-inclusive digital society.鈥
Shaza Fatima highlighted a key achievement, citing GSMA data that shows Pakistan鈥檚 mobile internet gender gap has narrowed from 38% to 25%鈥攁 result of focused government initiatives.
She added that women鈥檚 usage of mobile internet had risen from 33% to 45%, reflecting growing digital empowerment.
She also mentioned a successful pilot project under the Prime Minister鈥檚 Ramzan Relief Package, which provided digital wallets to 800,000 women, helping improve financial inclusion and women鈥檚 economic empowerment.
The minister directed all Ministry of IT departments and subcommittees to submit quarterly reports on their progress under the strategy. 鈥淥ur targets must be clear, time-bound, and results-driven,鈥 she emphasized.
Shaza called for greater investment in programs focused on women, stressing that empowering women leads to benefits for entire families. 鈥淭his goes beyond policy discussions. Real change comes from action,鈥 she noted.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), who was praised for promoting gender inclusivity. The PTA also expressed full support for the strategy鈥檚 goals.