very year on May 17, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day serves as a reminder of how deeply digital systems are embedded in modern life. This year’s theme - Digital lifelines: Strengthening resilience in a connected world - is particularly relevant for Pakistan, where digital transformation is accelerating, but not yet secure.

The real question is no longer whether Pakistan is becoming digital. It is whether its digital systems are resilient enough to withstand shocks.

Over the past few years, Pakistan has made significant progress in expanding connectivity and digital services. Internet users now exceed 117 million; mobile phones can reach most of the population.

Digital payments have surged, fin-tech adoption is rising and platforms such as Raast have transformed retail transactions. The digital economy is also emerging as a key growth driver, with IT exports crossing $3 billion annually.

Yet, beneath this progress lies a more fragile reality.

More than half of Pakistan’s population remains offline, limiting the reach of digital services and excluding millions from economic participation. Fixed broadband infrastructure remains underdeveloped and internet reliability continues to fluctuate. In such a context, digital systems cannot yet function as a true lifeline especially during crises.

Pakistan’s recent macroeconomic stabilisation provides an opportunity to address these gaps. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, real GDP growth recovered to 3.0 percent in FY2024-25 and inflation declined sharply to 4.5 percent. The current account also posted a surplus and foreign exchange reserves improved. These gains create fiscal and policy space for strategic investments, including digital infrastructure.

But stability alone does not guarantee resilience.

The rapid expansion of digital finance illustrates both potential and risk. Digital transactions have grown exponentially. Electronic banking usage continues to rise. However, cyber-security frameworks, consumer protection mechanisms and regulatory clarity have not kept pace.

As Pakistan explores digital currencies and virtual asset regulation, the absence of robust safeguards could expose users and institutions to systemic vulnerabilities.

Digital transformation is also increasingly data driven. As Pearl Zhu said in her book Digital Master, “We are moving slowly into an era where big data is the starting point, not the end.” Pakistan’s data ecosystem remains fragmented, with limited interoperability across government institutions and weak data governance frameworks. Without coherent policies on data protection, sharing and utilisation, digitisation risks becoming a patchwork of disconnected platforms rather than a unified system.

The stakes are even higher when viewed through the lens of climate vulnerability. Pakistan is among the countries most exposed to climate-induced disasters. The floods of 2022 highlighted how communication breakdowns can exacerbate human and economic losses.

Pakistan must strengthen its digital backbone through expanded fibre networks, improved broadband quality and infrastructure redundancy. It also needs a national data governance framework to ensure interoperability, privacy and secure data use.

Early warning systems, digital cash transfers and emergency coordination all depend on reliable telecommunications infrastructure. When networks fail, so does response capacity.

In this sense, digital infrastructure must be treated as critical infrastructure on par with roads, energy and water systems.

There is also a demographic dimension to this challenge. With a median age of around 20 years, Pakistan has one of the youngest populations in the region. This presents a potential digital dividend, but only if accompanied by investments in skills, education and innovation. Without this, the gap between digital opportunity and actual participation will continue to widen.

As Thomas M Siebel mentioned in his book Digital Transformation: Survive and Thrive in an Era of Mass Extinction, “The scope of digital transformation and its implications are still evolving.” For Pakistan, this uncertainty should not delay action. Instead, it should encourage more deliberate and forward-looking policymaking.

The way forward requires a shift in approach. Digitalisation cannot remain a collection of isolated initiatives. It must evolve into a coherent, systems-based strategy focused on resilience.

First, Pakistan must strengthen its digital backbone through expanded fibre networks, improved broadband quality, and infrastructure redundancy. Second, it needs a national data governance framework to ensure interoperability, privacy and secure data use. Third, cyber-security must become a policy priority, with clear standards, institutional capacity and public awareness.

Fourth, digital inclusion must be addressed by reducing affordability barriers and closing gender and rural access gaps. Finally, digital finance must be aligned with financial stability and consumer protection.

These are not optional reforms. They are prerequisites for a functioning digital economy.

World Telecommunication Day should not be treated as a symbolic observance. It is a reminder that in the 21st Century, resilience is increasingly digital.

Connectivity is no longer just about access. It is also about whether economies can function during disruption, whether governments can deliver services in crises and whether citizens can remain connected when it matters most.

Pakistan has made important strides toward digitalisation. But unless these systems are made resilient, secure and inclusive, they will remain fragile networks rather than true lifelines.

The challenge now is not to go digital but to do it right.

The writer is an economist working in the development sector. She can be reached at [email protected]