ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) -Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday inaugurated the Senate mobile application, describing the initiative as an important step towards digital empowerment and the development of a more efficient, transparent and public-oriented parliamentary system.
Addressing the launch ceremony as chief guest, Gilani said the application marked the beginning of a new chapter in the Senate’s digital journey since the establishment of the upper house in 1973.
He said the initiative was not merely about launching another mobile application but represented a shift in the way parliamentary institutions work, think and interact with the public.
Gilani said the Senate’s digital transformation was continuing with a renewed commitment to public service and was expected to have long-term positive effects on the performance of both the institution and its members.
He noted that parliamentary and government affairs had traditionally depended heavily on manual procedures, consuming considerable time on administrative processes instead of public service.
“Those times have changed,” he said, stressing that adopting technology and innovation had become essential for modern institutions.
The acting president termed the mobile application a strategic development and said the upper house must keep pace with rapid technological advancement.
He said the Senate Secretariat had already adopted the e-office system, which had produced encouraging results, while the new mobile application formed part of the institution’s broader digital transformation programme.
According to Gilani, digitalisation is aimed at saving time, improving efficiency and eliminating unnecessary administrative procedures.
He said technology was increasingly helping strengthen communication between Parliament and citizens. The Senate's website and social media platforms were already providing timely information about parliamentary activities while offering people opportunities to express their views and feedback.
Digital platforms could also play an important role in countering misinformation by improving public access to authentic parliamentary information, he added.
Gilani said the Senate was also expanding its digital archives, making parliamentary records more easily accessible to lawmakers, researchers and the general public. Improved access to verified information, he said, could enhance transparency and strengthen confidence in democratic institutions.
The acting president stressed that digital transformation should not be regarded as a one-time exercise but as a continuous process.
He described the Senate mobile application as a relatively small step in the institution’s overall digitalisation journey but a significant development for a modern parliamentary democracy.
Gilani said technology should not be adopted merely for the sake of innovation. Instead, its ultimate purpose should be to make democracy more transparent, efficient and accessible to citizens.
He praised the secretary Senate, Senate Secretariat and Information Technology Department for developing the application and urged senators to make effective use of the new technology in performing their parliamentary responsibilities and engaging with the public.
Acting Senate Chairman Syedaal Khan, Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja, senators, senior officials and media representatives attended the launch ceremony.