ISLAMABAD: The meeting of the Sub-Committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Information & Broadcasting was held Wednesday at Islamabad under the convenorship of Senator Sarmad Ali. The meeting was attended by Senators Syed Waqar Mehdi and Jan Muhammad, along with representatives from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Punjab Police, Sindh Police, Balochistan Police, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, Islamabad Police, and legal experts.
The Committee was informed that a total of 13 FIRs had been lodged against journalists, out of which 11 were cancelled after initial investigation. Additionally, 689 FIRs had been registered in relation to cybercrimes involving the general public. The Additional Inspector General (IG) of Punjab Police stated that approximately 500 cases of online crimes are currently under process in Punjab.
Responding to a query raised by Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi regarding the procedure for lodging FIRs in cybercrime cases, the Committee was briefed that, under the recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2025, no police station is authorized to register FIRs for cybercrimes. All such complaints are now forwarded to the NCCIA for investigation. However, in cases where online activity leads to a physical or conventional crime, two FIRs can be registered; one with the NCCIA for the cyber aspect and another with the relevant provincial police.
In response to a query regarding the establishment of a provincial body similar to NCCIA in Punjab, it was informed that a proposal is under consideration to create such an entity to share the workload. Similarly Additional IG of Sindh Police also informed the committee that they were also considering an entity in these lines.
The Committee was further informed that there are 29 offences defined under the PECA Act. The Punjab representative stated that 370 FIRs had been registered between 2020 and 2025 concerning cybercrimes. It was also noted that in cases involving both cyber and conventional crimes, NCCIA and provincial police are coordinating closely to ensure effective investigation.
The briefing highlighted that rapid developments in digital and cyber space has resulted in increasing need to expand cybercrime enforcement mechanisms at the provincial level.
During the briefing it was revealed that approximately 140 million people across Pakistan are active in cyberspace while around 20 percent of social media accounts are fake, often used for fraud, harassment, and blackmail.
The representatives of the provinces emphasized that cybercrime cannot be effectively controlled without the active support of provincial police and stressed the need for collective efforts.
The Sindh Police representative informed the Committee that 55 FIRs had been registered in the province related to cybercrime, including one involving a journalist, and 33 of these cases had been transferred to the NCCIA.
Islamabad Police informed that the last FIR related to cybercrime was registered on September 14, 2025, and all such cases are now being referred to the NCCIA.
It was highlighted that identifying individuals behind fake accounts is complex and often requires international cooperation with social media platforms.
The NCCIA representative briefed the Committee that the agency has been in coordination with Punjab and KP police to strengthen efforts against cybercrime. He noted that perpetrators often operate through multiple layers of anonymity. While appreciating the government for providing advanced software, he highlighted the need for stronger engagement with global platform providers. He stated that social media platforms respond to Pakistan’s requests at a rate of 83 percent, compared to 74.7 percent for India. He emphasized that sufficient evidence is required to proceed at each stage of investigation.
The Committee was further informed that NCCIA received approximately 154,000 complaints over the past year. The agency has formulated its rules and has submitted to the Ministry of Interior for approval. He further stated that the agency is working to finalize them on priority.
In concluding remarks, Senator Sarmad Ali emphasized the need to further strengthen NCCIA for effective performance. The Sub-Committee recommended that provincial police and courts transfer all relevant cases to NCCIA on priority. It also directed that detailed reports on transferred and pending cases be submitted in the next meeting. NCCIA was likewise directed to provide details of cases received by it from the provinces.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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