Power sector establishes Pakistan’s first ever data governance council

ISLAMABAD – The Ministry of Energy (Power Division), under the leadership of Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, has formally established the Power Sector Data Governance Council (PSDGC) — the first institution of its kind in any public sector domain in Pakistan. Pakistan has crossed a milestone with the power to reshape the direction of national governance for years to come. This Council is not simply an administrative body. It is a permanent national asset and a formal acknowledgement that data belongs to the nation and must be governed with the same responsibility and accountability owed to any vital national resource. It will grow in importance over time and serve as the foundation for every consequential decision the sector makes — for the benefit of generations to come. The Government of Pakistan recognizes data as a critical national asset, yet for years the power sector operated on fragmented, inconsistent, and unreliable data spread across dozens of institutions. Generation companies, distribution utilities, transmission entities, and regulatory bodies each maintained their own systems, definitions, and numbers. Weak quality controls, the absence of standardized data definitions, lack of metadata and traceability, inadequate data security, and the complete absence of a Centralized Data Repository resulted in data silos, unchecked duplication, and conflicting reports — undermining planning and decision-making at every level. To address these challenges, the government has introduced a comprehensive Data Governance Framework that defines clear policies, standards, roles, and processes for managing data across its entire lifecycle — from creation and validation through secure storage, quality assurance, and controlled sharing. The Council has been constituted as a high-level, cross-institutional body with representation from all key power sector institutions. It has been formally established with the participation of the Pakistan Digit