In partnership with the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, the National Centre in Big Data and Cloud Computing (NCBC) at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) held the Pakistan Open Data Conference 2025, where the portal was introduced.

This is Pakistan s first ever open data portal and was made by NCBC. The goal of this portal is to encourage transparency, facilitate policymaking and innovation for data and to embolden the public and research workers.

The NCBC s accomplishment was praised by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal because it made the open data portal an actuality. He emphasised what a great honour it was to be involved in the process that made BCBC come into being. NCBC has played an important role in constructing machine learning and AI for local capacity.

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The minister said, "Pakistan s development narrative will now be written in codes and understood through data.” He also mentioned that it is critical to use digital tools for national priority.

He referred to the National Open Data Portal s launch as another significant milestone that would improve decision-making, innovation, and transparency for a more powerful, data-informed Pakistan by giving researchers, policymakers, and the general public access to valuable, structured datasets across important sectors.

"In a rapidly digitising world, it is no longer enough to make declarations; we must deliver results. Let s unite – the government, academia, industry and our youth – to build a data-smart, cloud-enabled, globally competitive Pakistan. The launch of the National Open Data Portal is not the conclusion; it is the beginning of a new era." Ahsan Iqbal said at the end of the speech.

"Harnessing the Power of Open Data" with insights from industry experts was the title of the panel discussion that took place in the event and included live portal demonstrations as well.