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ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Thursday that a firewall was necessary for the country’s cyber defence and that further investments would be made to protect Pakistan’s digital boundaries.
Responding to a question about the government’s efforts to safeguard citizens’ digital rights and ensure internet access, Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the government was committed to protecting digital rights.
She highlighted the importance of cybersecurity and said several measures had been taken to strengthen the protection of citizens’ digital space. Responding to a question suggesting that the installation or modification of a ‘firewall’ might be responsible for slow internet speeds in the country, the minister said no compromise could be made on protecting Pakistan’s digital boundaries.
“The best example is May 2025, when not a single institution of Pakistan — government, private, civil or defence — could be breached by the enemy,” the minister said.
IT minister claims TV channel hacking linked to PakSat satellite
She added that Pakistan had a strong cyber command involving several institutions, including the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC), National Telecommunication and Information Security Board (NTISB), National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) and the Ministry of IT.
Without naming any country, she referred to recent global cyber warfare incidents, including those involving Iran, saying such developments highlighted the importance of cybersecurity. “Terrorism is a physical act, but it is closely linked with cyberattacks,” she said.
Addressing concerns about slow internet speeds, Ms Khawaja said Pakistan faced infrastructure challenges. “Only two to three per cent of consumers use fibre-based internet, which is among the lowest levels in the world, while Pakistan currently has only 274 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum compared to 600 MHz in Bangladesh,” she said.
She added that a spectrum auction scheduled for March 10 would help improve internet coverage and services across the country.
During supplementary questions, PPP lawmaker Dr Nafisa Shah asked about the recent hacking of two mainstream satellite-based television channels.
The minister responded that the incident pertained to Suparco and the defence division because the cyberattack targeted the PakSat satellite. “However, the issue was quickly identified, CERT was alerted and necessary measures were taken to ensure no other digital systems were affected,” Ms Khawaja said.
Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2026
