Three-Day Workshop on Data Interpretation and Use Commences in Karachi

Karachi, The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has formally inaugurated a three-day workshop on “Data Interpretation and Use” at Beach Luxury Hotel scheduled from August 11 to 13, 2025. The workshop aims to strengthen data-driven planning and decision-making through the effective utilization of the PBS databank.

The formal proceeding of the inaugural session commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran. Dr. Naeem uz Zafar (SI), Chief Statistician, PBS, chaired the inaugural ceremony, which brought together participants from provincial Planning & Development Departments, Bureau of Statistics as well as key representatives from the education, health, and economic sectors, alongside research organizations. The workshop will cover a wide range of sectors, including education, health, living standards, WASH, price statistics, foreign trade, economic statistics, and labour force statistics.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the Chief Statistician highlighted the pivotal role that reliable data in public sector development and reaffirm the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) commitment to facilitate the stakeholders. He also requested the participants to express their feedback, questions and recommendations to enhance the collaboration for promoting data driven culture. He also emphasized the importance of good governance and the need to follow a well-defined roadmap for data-driven planning. The workshop will play a key role in enhancing the effective use of available data for policy mapping and informed decision-making and share meaningful insights with the participants.

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. Mr. Gondal 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 (DDG), 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. 

Dr. Rafeeq Ahmed Chandio, Director General of the Bureau of Statistics, 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.

Mr. Golden Mulilo, Provincial Head of UNFPA, expressed his sincere appreciation to PBS and the participating departments for their dedication to this important initiative. He 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. 

The three 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.