DAY 1 I 15TH APRIL, 2025 I TUESDAY I 09:30 AM – 05:30 PM

Back to Events
08:40 AM – 09:25 AM
Arrival of the Guest & Registration
09:25 AM – 09:30 AM
Arrival of the Chief Guest
09:30 AM – 09:35 AM
National Anthem
09:35 AM – 09:40 AM
Recitation from the Holy Quran
09:40 AM – 09:50 AM
Mr. Awais Manzur Sumra,
Secretary, MoPD&SI
Welcome Remarks
09:50 AM – 10:00 AM
Dr. Nasir Iqbal
Secretary, PSDE/Registrar, PIDE
PSDE Report
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM
Dr. Nadeem Javaid (SI)
VC, PIDE/President, PSDE
Presidential Address
10:20 AM – 11:00 AM
Prof. Ahsan Iqbal
Chancellor, PIDE/ Federal Minister, MoPD&SI
Inaugural Address

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM Tea Break

11:30 AM – 01:00 PM

Panel 1:
Unlocking Pakistan’s Digital Potential: The Next 10-Years

Crystal Ball Room (CBR)

Panelists:
• Mr. Saleem Ullah, Deputy Governor, SBP
• Dr. Najeebullah Marwat, Member (Science & Technology), MoPD&SI
• Ms. Emma Fan, Country Director, ADB
• Dr. Baber Majid Bhatti, CEO, NITB
• Ms. Fatima Akhtar, VP Communications and Outreach, JAZZ
• Mr. Asim Ghaffar, VP Engineering, 10Pearls
Moderator:
Mr. Asim Saeed
Former Member, MoPD&SI

01:00 PM – 02:00 PM - Lunch Break

Parallel Technical Sessions

02:00 PM – 03:30 PM

Crystal Ball Room 1

Building Digital Tomorrow

Chair/Moderator:
Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmed Bhutto
Dean, IBA, Sukkur

Paper Presenters:

  • Moneeba Iftikhar et al
    Digital Transformation in
    Pakistan: Cyber-security Laws,
    Digital Media, and Youth Gig
    Workers.
  • Maryam Latif & Umaima Arif
    Digital Transformation and
    Sustainable Development: The
    Role of Smart Governance and
    Urbanization in South Asia.
  • Ghulam Shabbir
    Digital Transformation of
    Pakistan: Imperatives on Policy,
    Governance, Legislation and
    Infrastructure.

Discussant:
Dr. Karim Khan
PIDE

Crystal Ball Room 2

Bridging Gap with Fintech

Chair/Moderator:
Dr. Naeem uz Zafar
Chairman, PBS

Paper Presenters:

  • Muhammad Nauman Sadiq
    Comparative analysis of the contribution of digital and traditional financial inclusion towards financial performance and Stability of banks: Evidence from emerging South Asian economies.
  • Aroba Haq et al
    Scaling RAAST for a Cashless Pakistan: Lessons from India’s UPI – A Technical Data Analysis and Policy Recommendations.
  • Muhammad A. Shiraz
    Embracing the Inevitable: Bitcoin adoption for Pakistan’s Digital Transformation.

Discussant:
Dr. Zahid Asghar
QAU

Parallel Technical Sessions

02:00 PM – 03:30 PM

Jade Ball Room

Digitalization and Behavioral Shifts

Chair/Moderator:
Dr. Jordanka
ADB

Paper Presenters:

  • Rashid Ali
    Breaking Mental Barriers to Digitalization: Overcoming
    Cognitive Inertia and Adoption
    Challenges in the Manufacturing
    Industry
  • Tooba Ahmad & Sami Ullah
    Gamification of Pro-Environmental Behavior to Promote Sustainable Tourism in Pakistan.
  • Abdul Rashid et. al.,
    Does Inclusion affect Growth Inclusiveness? Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries.

 

 

Discussant:
Dr. Farhat Mehmood
PIDE

Lapis Ball Room

Technologies for Climate Resilience

Chair/Moderator:
Dr. Mumtaz Anwar
PU, Lahore

Paper Presenters:

  • Amjad Naveed
    Technological Innovation and the Green Path to Sustainability: Exploring Its dynamic link to Environmental Degradation.
  • Issa Hamadou et al
    Blessings or Threats? The Impact of Artificial Intelligence-Innovation on Climate Change.
  • Sajjad Hussain
    Emerging Role of Deep Learning Technique in Ecosystem Improvement by Early Resistant
    Source Detection against Disease and Pollution Control.
  • Faiza Azhar Khan et al
    Digital Resilience: ICT as a Mitigating Factor Against Climate-Induced Food Insecurity in Pakistan.

Discussant:
Dr. Zahoor Khan
IMsciences

03:30 PM – 04:00 PM - Tea Break

Crystal Ball Room (CBR)

04:00 PM – 05:30 PM

Allama Iqbal Lecture

Variety, Structural Change, and the Emergence of AI

Keynote Speaker:

Prof. Pier Paolo Saviotti

Utrecht University, GREDEG CNRS, INRA GAEL

Chair:
Dr. Safdar A. Sohail
ED, SPRC

Discussants:
Dr. Adnan Rafiq
Member Governance, MoPD&SI
Dr. Idrees Khawaja
Former Chief of Research, PIDE

Moderator:
Dr. Shazia Akhtar
HOD, SZABIST