ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Information Technology and Telecom­munication Shaza Fatima Khawaja has said that Pakistan’s inclusion in the top tiers of the Inter­nat­ional Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) report is result of collective efforts of various departments.

The minister told a presser on Friday that Pakistan ranked among the top-tier 46 countries, though the country’s position in ITU-2021 Global Cyber security was at 79.

She said the report indicated that Pakistan’s legal, technical, capacity development, skill development and organisational advan­cement are role models.

The Global Cybersecu­rity Index 2024 shows significant improvements by countries that are implementing essential legal measures, plans, capacity building initiatives, and cooperation frameworks, especially in strengthening incident response capabilities, the report said. It placed 46 countries in Tier 1, the highest of the five tiers, reserved for role modelling countries that demonstrate a strong commitment in all five cybersecurity pillars.

Pakistan has performed exceptionally well in the latest ranking and has been placed in Tier 1, alongside countries like the United States, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Sau­di Arabia, and Malaysia, she added.

She hailed collective effo­rts of various departments, including Pakistan Telecommunication Auth­ority, the Special Invest­ment Facili­tation Council (SIFC), the Ministry of Planning Commission, the Ministry of Defence, law enforcement agencies and FIA, in achieving this milestone.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024