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Pakistan is facing a rising wave of cyber-enabled drug trafficking, but authorities admit the country currently lacks specific laws to tackle the threat. Online narcotics sales are booming across social media, dark web forums, and unregulated online pharmacies, leaving federal agencies without clear legal authority to curb digital drug networks.
In a written reply to the National Assembly, the Ministry of Interior revealed that neither the Control of Narcotics Substances Act (CNSA) 1997 nor the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 contain provisions addressing online drug crimes. While all forms of narcotics sale and possession remain punishable under CNSA, the absence of explicit cyber clauses hampers enforcement at a time when traffickers are increasingly shifting from streets to screens.
The Interior Ministry’s response highlighted that the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) lacks advanced digital investigation tools, such as live-call interception, email tracing, and online activity monitoring—technical capabilities critical for dismantling online drug syndicates. Despite the rising threat, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the lead federal cybercrime body, has not launched any specialized operations targeting online narcotics trafficking in Islamabad. Officials noted that the matter “pertains to FIA,” without providing operational details.
Coordination Through Inter-Agency Task Force
According to the official response, enforcement relies on the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) under the Anti-Narcotics Policy 2019, coordinating efforts between FIA, ANF, and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Under this mechanism, FIA handles cyber-patrols, intelligence gathering, and assists ANF in tracking digital drug networks. PTA provides data, blocks websites, and deactivates accounts promoting narcotics, while ANF leads overall enforcement but lacks the technical capabilities required to penetrate darknet markets and encrypted platforms.
Government Now Weighing Legal Amendments
The Interior Ministry acknowledged that Pakistan’s existing laws were designed for conventional drug crimes and do not address the sophisticated digital ecosystem traffickers now use. It confirmed:
“Amendments to the existing legal framework are essentially needed to counter the use of the Dark Net and other online applications for drug trafficking.”
Authorities are now considering legal changes to bring cyber-enabled drug crimes firmly under federal jurisdiction, an urgent step amid the growing presence of narcotics dealers on WhatsApp groups, Instagram pages, and encrypted channels frequently accessed by youth.
