Pakistan to Get First Dedicated Cybersecurity Authority to Boost National Defense

The federal government is moving toward establishing a dedicated Cybersecurity Authority, with the initial draft of the National Cyber Security Act now completed and shared with key stakeholders.

According to a written reply submitted by the Federal Minister for IT and Telecom in the National Assembly, the authority will act as the central body responsible for coordinating and enforcing cybersecurity measures across all Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) sectors and operators.

The minister said the proposed authority is a major element of the National Cyber Security Policy (NCSP-2021), which provides a nationwide framework to safeguard digital assets and protect citizens’ online data.

The policy is being implemented under the Digital Economy Enhancement Program (DEEP), which includes initiatives such as the Secure Data Exchange Layer, Digital Identity, and e-Citizen enablement to support trust-based digital governance.

The government has already declared the “Information Systems and Data” of NADRA, FBR, and the telecom sector as Critical Information Infrastructure under PECA-2016, the minister added. National guidelines for identifying and protecting CIIs have also been issued, while the process to designate the systems of Immigration & Passports as CII is underway.

Until the Cybersecurity Authority is formally set up, a CERT Council is operating under the CERT Rules 2023. The council consists of 14 members from the IT Ministry, Defence, Interior, Foreign Affairs, telecom operators, academia, civil society, and governmental CERTs. It is currently responsible for strengthening cyber incident response and improving coordination between the public and private sectors.