ISLAMABAD, May 23: The government is establishing a cyber-crime unit in the Federal Investigation Agency headquarters, Minister of State for Interior Zafar Iqbal Warraich said on Tuesday. During his first visit to the headquarters, Mr Warraich said his ministry would help establish the unit.

The minister said the FIA should prepare a database of criminals to control crimes and terrorism. “A comprehensive terrorist information system will be helpful in the international war against terrorism,” he said.

FIA sources said the agency planned to establish cyber crime units in each zone and the headquarters. They said the interior ministry’s permission had been sought for the appointment of required staff, purchase of equipment and construction of buildings for the purpose.

The FIA had demanded that special laws should be enacted and courts established to control cyber crimes, they said.

At present, the FIA deals cyber crime cases under the Electronic Transaction Ordinance. It detected 26 cyber crime cases during the past year.

“The ministry will help the FIA establish a cyber crime unit and special laws will be made to make it a more effective investigation agency of the federal government,” the minister said.

FIA Director-General Tariq Pervez apprised the minister of the agency’s efforts against illegal immigration, human trafficking, infringement of intellectual property rights and terrorism.

The minister appreciated the agency’s performance, especially increase in the number of passengers travelling on forged documents offloaded, 26 per cent reduction in the number of deportees from Iran and Europe, decline in human smuggling cases across the Pakistan-Iran border and detecting more than 2,000 cases on the watch list for prosecution purposes.