THE interior secretary has termed cybercrime the “biggest challenge of the present era”. Was he making a rhetorical statement, or expressing serious concern? Speaking at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency headquarters this Wednesday, the interior secretary promised, on behalf of his ministry, to turn the NCCIA into “a modern, strong and professional institution”. Pakistan certainly needs a cybersecurity institution of high calibre, given the mess that has been made of its systems. One recalls the recent revelation in parliament that biometric data for hundreds of thousands of citizens had been recovered during investigations into fraud networks, and also that criminals were accessing sensitive facilities, such as airports and passport offices, to steal citizens’ fingerprint data. Plugging those breaches itself will be a big clean-up task for the NCCIA, because they signal that the entire system for collecting biometric data has been compromised. Indeed, large-scale trafficking of personal data appears to be a thriving industry in Pakistan.
In August, the NCCIA helped bust an international cybercrime network in cooperation with Interpol and the Singapore police, for which it received accolades from the latter. Over the preceding months, it also nabbed criminals involved in selling telecommunications data and sensitive personal data of government officials, as well as criminals running extortion networks. It busted a major illegal call centre in Islamabad just this week, which is believed to have been involved in international fraud. Those successes reflect well on the authority. However, the NCCIA has also found itself in the midst of serious controversies in the past, including allegations of corruption and extortion. It has appeared to act as a tool for public suppression, with the cybercrime machinery being used in cases against journalists and politicians. Given the seriousness of the challenges it confronts, it is hoped that the authority will focus its attention on international criminals and fraudsters. Its priorities must be transparent to all.
Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2026
