• CM Maryam approves the plan to curb misuse of digital platforms
• Province cites slow, inadequate response from federal cybercrime agency

LAHORE: Unhappy with the performance of the National Cybercrime Inve­stigation Agency (NCCIA), the Punjab government has decided in pri­nciple to set up its own wing to deal with the rising incidents of cybercrime in the province.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mar­yam Naw­az here on Monday. “The Cybercrime Wing will be establis­hed in Pun­j­ab to curb the misuse of digital platforms,” the meeting decided.

A senior official told Dawn that Punjab had been facing difficulties as its complaints were not properly addressed by the NCCIA and often took too long to be disposed of.

“Keeping in view the sharp rise in cybercrime in the most-populated province of the country, Punjab feels the need to have a separate wing to deal with the menace,” he said.

After the NCCIA was established in May this year — replacing the Fede­ral Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime Wing — the Pun­jab government tried to develop a “working relationship” with the federal authority, but it did not yield results.

The Punjab government has been facing increasing challenges on social media, particularly the targeting of the Sharif family by pol­itical opponents. Even provincial ministers, including Information Minister Azma Bokhari, have filed compl­aints with the NCCIA agai­nst individuals invol­ved in online character assassination.

Ms Bokhari recently ann­o­unced plans to move the NCCIA against TV anchor Mubasher Lucman under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) for alleged defamation.

Questions, however, are being raised about whether the proposed provincial cyb­­e­rcrime wing is inten­d­ed to target political rivals.

Meanwhile, the NCCIA itself has been struggling with severe manpower shor­t­ages as thousands of complaints pour in each month. With a large backlog and limited resources, the authority has been unable to process cases efficiently.

“In the NCCIA, compla­ints arrive in thousands eve­ry month. Most are related to account hacking, harassment, and financial fraud,” an official told Dawn.

“In harassment cases, many inv­olve the uploading of objectionable photos or videos — often by ex-husbands, ex-fiancés, or boyfriends — to blackmail victims. But the NCCIA lacks the staff and resources needed to handle such a massive volume.”

He said evidence collection also remains a major challenge due to non-cooperation from some social media platforms, including Faceb­ook, WhatsApp, Google, and Gmail.

“There is no treaty betw­een the government and these companies, so they are not legally bound to share data with the NCCIA. Only in cases involving life threats or ransom do they respond promptly. Besides, the authority is not equipped with the latest software required to trace and verify digital evidence,” he added.

Over the past few years, the number of cybercrime complaints has increased manifold, but the government has not taken steps to strengthen the capacity of the investigating agency, including training officers in countries that have advanced cybercrime systems.

“The government should build the cybercrime setup on the pattern of the FBI,” the official suggested.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2025