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Islamabad: The development of Pakistan’s National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) is progressing steadily, with the acquisition of technical human resources and the enhancement of capabilities set to be completed by June 2025. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication, shared with the National Assembly that NCERT began its preliminary operations in July 2023, but its full operational capacity is still under development.
NCERT, which falls under the category of Cyber Security for Digital Pakistan, is a project of the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) that is carried out by the Cabinet Division’s National Telecommunication & Information Security Board (NTISB). The minister emphasised that the CERT Rules 2023, which offer a legislative framework to reduce cybersecurity vulnerabilities at the organisational, sectoral, and national levels, govern how NCERT functions.
To manage cybersecurity concerns, these regulations provide operational capabilities, technical assistance, and capacity-building strategies. These regulations, which were approved by the Federal Cabinet and published in the Gazette on September 26, 2023, create an integrated and proactive risk management procedure to improve Pakistan’s cybersecurity environment.
The aim of Pakistan’s National Cyber Security Policy (NCSP) 2021 is to establish a safe and robust digital environment. National Level, Sectoral, and Organisational CERTs are all part of the three-tier cybersecurity system, which guarantees a thorough plan to safeguard digital infrastructure.
A CERT Council has been established to provide guidance and coordination to these teams, thereby enabling them to work together to address cyber threats. The regulations explicitly define the functions and definitions of a variety of CERTs, such as Government CERT, Critical Infrastructure CERT, Sectoral CERT, Federal CERT, and Provincial CERT.
Khawaja underlined that the goal of cybersecurity measures is to address the constantly changing dangers in cyberspace. Technology investment, cyber information sharing, capacity building, international collaboration, and adherence to international cybersecurity standards are some of these strategies. In order to guarantee digital security for people, companies, and the country as a whole, the government is dedicated to strengthening its cyber defences.
The National Cyber Security Framework emphasises that measures must be made to secure Pakistan’s digital environment while simultaneously ensuring that malevolent cyber actions do not affect other countries, in accordance with UN Norms 40 on Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace. The government wants to improve national security in the digital sphere and increase Pakistan’s cybersecurity resilience through legislative backing, capacity-building programs, and strategic interventions.
