E-Governance and its Role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Pakistan

Abstract

This paper discusses how E-Governance has contributed to attaining Sustainable Development Goals in Pakistan using a qualitative approach to the analysis of government reports, policy documents, academic literature, and official publications. Results show that Pakistan has already gone far with regard to digital governance, and the Pakistan Reforms Report 2026 document reports 660 reforms in the federal institutions with 74 of them being digital-specific initiatives. The idea of reforms is highly consistent with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), SDG 9 and SDG 7 which emphasize the governance first method of development. The existing provincial projects especially Punjab show how digital monitoring systems, third-party validation and evidence-based project management can come to reality. E-Governance has positive effects on poverty reduction and social welfare, facilitated by efficiency in the delivery of services to society and mediated by digital literacy. Nevertheless, this progress has not eliminated such challenges as execution fatigue, lack of coordination, digital divide, and sustainability issues. The report finds that combining the reforms, broadening accessibility, and investing in human resources are significant in achieving the revolutionary potential of the E-Governance to the SDG agenda in Pakistan.