The concept of digital inheritance, which we can call digital wirasat in our local context, is becoming one of the most significant challenges of the twenty-fist century because almost every aspect of our lives is now stored on a server or cloud somewhere. When we talk about inheritance in our society, we usually focus on physical property like houses, land, gold or the cash or bank account only, but we often completely ignore the fact our digital presence is also a form of property that carries immense value.
the person who is working as free lance and spend years create content ,their digital assets are not just file but a lifetime of hard work that includes researcpapers,articles,monetized blogs, and social media accounts that have thousands of followers, if we look at the financial side, many people now keep their savings in digital wallets or trade in cryptocurrency through plate farms like binance and others, and these assets can sometimes be worth more than traditional investments. However the biggest problem is that when a person passes away, these digital assets often vanish into thin air because there is no clear legal framework in Pakistan to handle them. Our current succession laws, especially the succession act 1925, were designed at the time when even the idea of computers was like science fiction, so the law only recognized things you can physically touch or handover to someone. This creation a massive gap because when a family goes to court to get succession certificate ,the legal system doesn’t know how to deal with a YouTube channel or a crypto private key. Beyond the legal hurdles, there is a huge technical barrier because most people are very private about their passwords and security things, and if they haven’t shared these details with their heirs, it becomes almost impossible for the family to access the accounts. International companies like google,fcebook,and apple have very strict policies and even if a person’s legal heir approaches them with a death certificate, these companies often refuse access to protect the privacy of deceased, which means years of memories, professional work and financial assets can be lost forever. In Pakistan we also face a cultural issue where we don’t, like to talk about death and making a will, and this silence makes the problems of digital inheritance even worse because people don’t, think about setting up “legacy contacts” on their social media or writing down instruction of their digital wealth. As the world moves towards a more digital economy, we are seeing more people earn their living through online platforms, and for many families ,a father or a husband’s online business might be their only source of income, if that accounts get locked or deleted because the owner is no longer there, the family is left in very difficult position both financially and emotionally, we need to realize that a digital assets is real property and it should be treated with the same aspect as a plot of land or bank deposit. This means we need a huge shift in how we think about our digital lives and we need our legal experts and policy makers to start working on new regulations that especially address digital assets ,we should be encouraging every person toto create a “digital will “where they clearly list their online accounts, financial wallets, and social media pages, and designated a trusted person who can take over. This is not just about money, it is about preserving a person’s legacy and making sure that their hard work continues to benefit their family even after they are gone. The development sector can play a big role in this by creating awareness and helping people to understand that their digital footprint is a part of their heritage. We also need to push for better coordination between our local courts and international tech companies so that the process of transferring digital ownership becomes simple as transferring a motor vehicle. If we don’t, take these steps now ,we are going to see a lots of digital wealth being wasted, and many families will suffer because they don’t, have the key to the digital world that their loves one built.it is time us to bridge the gap between our traditional laws and modern digital reality so that every Pakistani’s digital assets are safe ,secure and ready to be passed on the next generation in a way that is fair and legally sound.by simplifying our approach and using common sense instead of complex legal jargon, we can make sure that digital wirasat becomes a standard part of our inheritance system, protecting the future of our children in an increasingly online world. govt. should update the succession Act to legally recognized digital assets and create a simplified, one window process for heirs to claim online accounts and crypto wallets.
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