Recently, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) decided to live-stream judicial proceedings and constituted an e-committee to propose rules for such proceedings. This is a monumental step because it will improve the public’s accessibility to the court and allow the people to scrutinise the proceedings, which can increase transparency and impartiality.
Given that IHC has already tested the procedure, the federal government should also consider introducing information technology in the different government bodies. Since most people now have access to digital devices and WiFi services, e-governance will provide ordinary citizens with easy access to government policies and political procedures, which will empower citizens and make them feel included. Also, the traditional paperwork system is time-consuming, which can be avoided with e-governance as a seamless IT infrastructure will be set up.
Importantly, e-governance can reduce costs because the government can collect data and seek people’s opinions through digital modes of interaction. This will save the money spent on the different resources and avoid maintenance costs. Therefore, the government should closely follow the progress of IHC’s use of IT equipment and formulate a strategy to transition towards e-governance.
SYEDA HADIA BAKHTAWAR
NANAKANA SAHIB
