The Prime Minister’s Office has introduced a new and important rule for all federal ministries and departments in Pakistan. From now on, any recruitment related to artificial intelligence (AI) will need approval from the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) before it can move forward. This means no department will be able to start hiring AI-related staff on its own. Every request will first go through a proper review process to check if it meets the required technical and official standards.
PM Grants Pakistan Digital Authority Control Over AI-Related Federal Hiring
This decision is aimed at improving how AI-related hiring is managed across the government. It brings all such hiring under one central system instead of allowing each department to handle it separately. With this change, the government wants to make the hiring process more organized, clear, and consistent. It will also help ensure that AI jobs are created only where they are truly needed and follow the same national guidelines across all departments.
AI Hiring Now Requires Pakistan Digital Authority Approval
Under this new system, no ministry or division in Pakistan will be able to start AI recruitment on its own AI workforce planning and AI recruitment system. Every recruitment process will first be checked, reviewed, and approved by the Pakistan Digital Authority PDA approval and digital approval system before moving forward. This applies to all major steps of the hiring process government hiring process. It includes:
- Creating new AI-related job posts
- Getting official permission for recruitment
- Approving job advertisements before publishing
- Setting job roles, descriptions, and requirements
- Completing the final hiring and appointment process
In simple words, nothing related to AI jobs will move ahead without proper approval from the PDA. This ensures that every step is controlled, verified, and aligned with national guidelines.
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Government Aims for Centralized and Standardized AI Hiring
Officials say this step is mainly about better control and proper planning. AI is a fast-growing field, and different departments were handling hiring in different ways. Now, the government wants a single system so that:
- All AI jobs follow the same standards
- Technical checks are properly done
- Hiring is more organized and transparent
- Quality of recruitment is improved
This will help make sure that only properly reviewed and needed AI roles are created in the federal system. According to the instructions issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, all federal ministries and departments must follow this rule strictly, with no exceptions allowed. This means every government office will now be required to get approval before starting any AI-related hiring process. No department can bypass this requirement or proceed independently.
The directive also refers to an official memorandum issued by the Pakistan Digital Authority on April 20, 2026. That document clearly states that no AI recruitment activity can move forward without prior clearance from the authority. With this, the rule is now fully included in official government recruitment procedures, making it a mandatory part of the hiring system for all AI-related positions.
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Impact of New Rule on Federal Departments
This change will affect future hiring plans in many federal departments. Any department planning to hire AI experts, engineers, or technical staff will now have to go through this approval system. It may slightly slow down the hiring process, but it is expected to improve long-term planning and reduce confusion between departments.
Pakistan is focusing more on digital growth and artificial intelligence. AI is becoming an important part of government systems, services, and future planning. By centralizing AI hiring, the government aims to build a stronger and more consistent digital workforce. It also helps ensure that AI talent is hired based on proper technical needs.
This new policy shows that Pakistan is trying to manage artificial intelligence in the public sector in a more organized way. With the Pakistan Digital Authority now handling AI hiring, the aim is to make the system clearer, more transparent, and easier to manage for future digital growth. News source eTimes Pakistan.
