In a landmark step towards digital transformation, the Government of Pakistan officially launched the National Open Data Portal (NODP) at the Pakistan Open Data Conference 2025, hosted in Islamabad by the National Center in Big Data and Cloud Computing (NCBC) at LUMS, in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives (MoPD&SI).
The launch of the portal, the first of its kind in the country, establishes a central hub for public access to government datasets across key sectors including health, education, economy, environment, infrastructure, and demographics. Developed by NCBC at LUMS, the portal is designed to promote transparency, support data-driven policymaking, and drive innovation across research, academia, and civil society.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, inaugurated the portal, praising LUMS and NCBC for their role in realizing this national platform. “Pakistan’s development narrative will now be written in code and understood through data,” he declared, underlining the urgency of adopting digital tools as a national priority. He called the launch a “major milestone” that would empower all sectors through structured, accessible data, and called for unity between government, academia, industry, and youth to build a “data-smart, cloud-enabled, globally competitive Pakistan.”
Dr Naveed Arshad, Director of NCBC at LUMS, emphasized the long-term vision behind the initiative. “Data is the new oil—but unlike oil, the more we share it, the more value we unlock,” he said, noting that the portal represents a crucial investment in knowledge-sharing, transparency, and technological innovation.
Dr Arshad also reflected on NCBC’s founding in 2018 with government support and its collaborative work with 12 partner institutions nationwide. He credited the success of the portal to collective technical excellence and commitment, calling for continued collaboration in the future.
The conference convened senior figures from government, academia, development organizations, and the tech industry to explore the transformative potential of open data. Highlights included live demonstrations of the portal and a high-level panel discussion titled ‘Harnessing the Power of Open Data’, featuring industry experts Khurram Rahat, Sardar Ikram Khan, Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, and Salman Aslam. The discussion centered on the economic, social, and governance benefits of open data, and strategies for cross-sectoral collaboration.
Related: LUMS SOE Showcases Bold Solutions at Annual Conference
The Pakistan Open Data Conference 2025 not only celebrated the launch of a critical national resource but also reaffirmed LUMS’ role as a leader in digital innovation and policy dialogue. With the NODP now live, Pakistan takes a bold step toward a more transparent, informed, and technologically advanced future.