ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has drafted 'National Cyber Security Policy' and shared with intelligence agencies, but neither shared with National Centre for Cyber Security (NCCS) nor the parliament raising serious questions over the transparency in the consultation process.
This was observed by parliamentarians from the government as well as the opposition parties during the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication meeting.
The committee met with Ali Khan Jadoon in the chair Tuesday, where detailed briefing was given on establishment of the National Centre on Cyber Crimes. The committee was informed that Pakistan was at very low in ranking on Global Cyber Security Index (GCSI).
The committee also recommended regulating the social media giants including Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, while observing that they had negatively affected the social norms and values. The committee was also informed that there was no IT policy in the country, on which parliamentarians were surprised and expressed serious concerns.
Sher Ali Arbab, MNA, said that public interest should not be affected under the grab of national security. Director NCCS said that digital assets are at risk as cyber security has no borders. There is needed a national cyber security policy but also a strategy to deal with cyber threats affectively.
The director NCCS further said that under the centre, 11 forensic labs had been established in 10 universities. There is a plan to set up more centers for which Rs1.2 billion have been allocated. The center has produced mobile forensic tool, computer forensic tool, social media forensic, IoT firewall, blockchain security tool, vulnerability scanning tool and intrusion detection solution. However, the committee expressed serious concerns, while observing that the Ministry of IT was not taken on board on the NCCS.
The committee recommended that rules may be amended to add cyber security in the Ministry of IT domain. Parliamentarians raised several issues being faced by them concerning the Cyber Crime, and urged the FIA and the PTA for their resolution. The Additional Director (FIA) briefed the committee regarding report on complaints/questions raised by members in the previous meeting.
He said that some of the suspects involved in the Cyber Crime had been arrested, while the devices recovered from them were sent to the forensic laboratories. On receipt of report thereupon from the forensic laboratories, final challans will be submitted to the Courts of Law for further course of action.
The committee was informed that Khalid Wazir, Deputy Director (WAD), PTA and Iftikhar Aziz, Assistant Director FIA (Cyber Crime Wing) have been nominated as focal persons to address the cyber crime issues being faced by the parliamentarians.
The Committee deferred the agenda item regarding the recommendations of the Sub-Committee, appointed under the Convenership of Sher Ali Arbab, MNA, owing to non-attendance of meeting by the chief executive officer (CEO), PTCL, and directed that the ministry should ensure attendance of the CEO, PTCL in the next meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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