ISLAMABAD, Sept 24: The Ministry of Information Technology, in line with the National IT Policy and the Electronic Transactions Ordinance 2002, has set up Accreditation Council for Certificate Authorities (CAs).

A notification to this effect was issued on Friday, following a meeting presided over by Federal Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari. Senior officials of the ministry were also present on the occasion.

The Certificate Authorities will issue digital certificates, which are electronic documents that tie each person's or organization's identity to their public verification key.

These digital certificates will be signed by the authority so that users can verify that the certificates are authentic. The voluntary licensing programme aims at promoting high integrity licensed CAs that can be trusted.

A CA wishing to get licence will have to meet stringent criteria in various aspects, including financial soundness, personnel integrity, strict security controls and procedures.

Only CAs that meet the high integrity and security standards set up by the controller will be issued licences. The accreditation council will consist of five members, all from the private sector, apart from the National Telecommunication Corporation chairman, who has been made the ex-officio head of the council.

It may be added that the Electronic Transactions Ordinance was enacted in 2002 to create a legal framework for electronic commerce transactions in Pakistan. Among other things, it paved the way for the Ministry of Information Technology to make regulations for the licensing and regulation of certification authorities in Pakistan.

Mr Leghari termed formation of the Accreditation Council for Certificate Authorities vital for electronic commerce. "A conducive legal and policy framework that creates an environment of trust, predictability and certainty in the country, is fundamental for electronic commerce to flourish," he said.

The minister said: "Pakistan has a vision of being a regional electronic commerce hub, where electronic commerce transactions from within the country and around the region are processed."

At present, there is only one CA operational in the country, called NIFT, which is a consortium of private and public sector banks. However, the minister said a number of organizations, including a few from the public sector, have already shown interest in setting up their own CAs. "This is an encouraging trend, as this is a clear indication that the policies that we have put into place are now bearing fruit," Mr Leghari said.