Quetta, August 15, 2025 – The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), inaugurated a two-day workshop titled “Data Interpretation and Use” at Serena Hotel, Quetta. The workshop aims to enhance data-driven planning and decision-making by promoting the effective use of the PBS databank.
The formal proceeding of the inaugural session commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran. The opening ceremony of the workshop was attended by Ms. Sadia Atta, Provincial Coordinator of UNFPA, Mr. Umaid Ali Khokhar Secretary, Urban Planning and Development Department, Mr. Zafar Ali Buledi, Secretary, Population Welfare Department and PBS Senior Management. The officers of Planning & Development Departments, Bureau of Statistics and line departments including representatives from the education, health, urban planning, PDMA, researchers participated in the workshop. The workshop will cover a wide range of sectors, including education, health, living standards, WASH, price statistics, economic statistics, and labour force statistics. The gathering reflected a strong commitment to fostering collaboration for improved data utilization and evidence-based policymaking.
Mr. Muhammad Sarwar Gondal (SI), Member (Support Services/Resource Management), PBS, delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining the objectives of the workshop and key functions as well activities of PBS, the breadth of datasets it maintains, and the Bureau’s capacity to support evidence-based, data-driven policy planning. He articulated his vision for strengthening the role of statistics in national development and underscored the critical importance of robust data utilization in shaping Pakistan’s socio-economic agenda. He shared role of data in policy-planning through its illustration in the critical matters with real-time examples, he demonstrated how PBS data can be effectively applied to inform and enhance policy decisions. He also also highlighted the extensive PBS databank, encompassing demographic, educational, health, living conditions, socio-economic, labour force, price, trade, industrial, and macroeconomic indicators. He also shared PBS’s initiatives to promote data literacy and foster data-driven solutions, notably Data Fest 2024, which provided a platform for data producers and users to showcase datasets, explore collaboration opportunities, and develop integrated, insightful, and visually compelling information for policymakers. He invited stakeholders to participate in the upcoming Data Fest 2025, scheduled on November 11–12, 2025, at the Pak-China Friendship Centre, Islamabad.
Ms. Rabia Awan, Deputy Director General, PBS, welcomed the participants and outlined the broader objectives of the workshop. She emphasized that this capacity-building initiative is aimed at enhancing the ability of provincial Planning & Development Departments and other line agencies to effectively utilize available data for evidence-based policy formulation, informed decision-making, efficient resource allocation, and sustainable national development.
Ms. Sadia Atta, Provincial Coordinator of UNFPA, expressed her sincere appreciation to PBS and the participating departments for their dedication to this important initiative. She emphasized that the effective utilization of data is crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and for fostering governance that is firmly grounded in evidence-based decision-making. She urged that PBS may provide technical support for integrated dashboards planned to be developed by joint efforts of provincial government particularly Bureau of Statistics Balochistan, and UNFPA as well as Gender MIS to be developed by Women Welfare Department with the support of UNFPA.
Mr. Umaid Ali Khokhar Secretary Urban Planning and Development Department, speaking on behalf of the provincial government, expressed his gratitude to PBS and UNFPA for organizing this valuable initiative. He was of the view that the workshop would play a vital role in enhancing planning and development strategies across diverse sectors and highlighted the role of the data and issues being faced. He apprised that provincial government is working on the development of the Master-Plan and this workshop will be beneficial in this regard to finalized the planning based on the PBS databank. He urged that collaboration of PBS with the provincial government may remain continue for promoting evidence based planning.
Mr. Zafar Ali Buledi, Secretary, Population Welfare Department, commends the efforts made by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) for organizing workshop for promoting the culture of evidence based policy-planning and data driven solution. He recognized PBS’s sustained efforts in promoting data awareness and enhancing the capacity of stakeholders in data interpretation and utilization. He emphasized the importance of such initiatives in fostering a culture of evidence-based planning, particularly in sectors critical to public welfare and development.
The two day workshop Data Interpretation and Use include comprehensive presentations by the eminent professionals of PBS on the indicators, datasets and historic series available, how to effectively utilize the same for data driven policy-planning. Besides presentation, live demonstration on the various interactive dashboards portraying various meaning insights, visualization, charts, customized time series of datasets from difference censuses, surveys and other sources. In addition to this, practical group exercise how to utilize the data in policy-planning, its challenges and gaps was conducted as well as on spot data dissemination desk was established to provide data to the stakeholders on the expeditious basis. This capacity-building initiative is a crucial step toward fostering a culture of evidence-based planning, encouraging cross-sectoral collaboration, and strengthening the use of national data assets at the provincial and district levels.
