System Failures Stall File Movement, Officials Seek Immediate Fix
ISLAMABAD — Work at the Ministry of Finance faced disruption again this week after technical faults struck the government’s e-Office system, just days before an International Monetary Fund delegation is set to begin its economic review.
Officials said the Finance Division formally wrote to the National Information Technology Board (NITB) on February 19, highlighting serious system failures that slowed routine operations and halted the movement of official files. According to sources, similar glitches have occurred every two to three weeks, yet authorities have not implemented a permanent solution.
The e-Office platform, launched on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to promote paperless governance, has repeatedly experienced login failures, workflow errors and system freezes. Employees reported authentication issues, while approved files failed to advance through required stages.
NITB Cites Heavy Traffic, Announces System Stress Test
In its communication, the Finance Division stated that repeated calls for technical assistance did not resolve the malfunction, severely affecting daily operations. Consequently, the ministry urged NITB to restore services on a priority basis.
NITB officials acknowledged the disruption and attributed it to maintenance and optimization processes. The board’s chief executive said the system faced heavy traffic due to the onboarding of additional departments. He added that infrastructure upgrades are underway, including a disaster recovery site and enhanced security measures.
Although officials confirmed the system’s restoration, they plan to conduct a stress test over the weekend to evaluate capacity and stability. However, finance ministry sources expressed concern that recurring outages could undermine preparations for key economic engagements, including the imminent IMF review.
