Pakistan Bureau of Statistics To Form A Taskforce to Boost Data-Driven Decision Making

Islamabad: Planning Minister Prof. Ahsan Iqbal chaired a meeting with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) to discuss a strategic five-year plan to drive forward the country’s data collection and dissemination capabilities and fostering a practice of informed decision-making.

The Planning Minister on Monday directed the establishment of a task force comprising senior officials from PBS and private sector experts to draft Terms of Reference (TORs) based on global best practices.

Emphasizing the urgent need for data-driven decisions, the Minister instructed PBS to identify tehsils with high numbers of out-of-school children for targeted education initiatives.

The Planning Minister further instructed the facilitation of development data dissemination at the constituency level, enabling political representatives to enhance their districts through data-driven decision-making, promoting a culture of ownership, accountability, and responsive governance.

Moreover, the meeting also discussed the need to include reports on the digital economy, noting that Pakistan’s substantial freelancing population is currently not accounted for in the national economy. The Minister instructed to convene workshops with industry experts to develop a robust framework for future surveys, incorporating their feedback to create an inclusive structure.

Furthermore, the Minister instructed PBS to prioritize the production of high-quality economic reports, ensuring accurate national rankings, identifying and addressing data reporting gaps, and maintaining the highest standards of data authenticity. The Minister also directed PBS to collaborate with international ranking organizations, providing them with accurate and updated data to ensure precise and current national rankings as these rankings / ratings further impact the national economy. In addition, the Minister instructed that comparative analyses be undertaken to examine the methodologies and practices employed by international organizations in UK, Canada and Turkey, with a view to identifying and integrating their best practices into PBS’s operational frameworks and reporting mechanisms.

While discussing the current limitations of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, their Chief Statistician Dr. Naeem uz Zaman stated that PBS has the capability of analyzing structured data only whereas the world is using big data to gain insights for effective decision making. New proposals discussed during the meeting included advice from PBS officials to reform the organization so that capability of the organization to draw data analytics and insights from big data sets can be developed.

The meeting was attended by Additional Secretary Mr. Kamran Rehman Khan, Chief Statistician Dr. Naeem Uz Zafar, Member, Support Services Mr. Muhammad Sarwar Gondal, senior PBS officers, and Planning Ministry representatives.