Information security system okayed

The Express Tribune reported that the cabinet has cleared the Pakistan Information Security Framework 2026, known as PISF, to lower cyber risk for state bodies. Cabinet members asked for firm rollout dates and an outside audit carried out by an independent third party. They credited the IT ministry for drafting it quickly, given the growing cybersecurity threats.

Ministries were told, on the prime minister's orders, to route their initiatives through data centres the IT ministry has already set up. The Planning Ministry will block any proposal for new or independent data centres from being included in PC-1s. Officials at the IT ministry told the paper that more digital government services, wider e-governance and tighter links between public systems had raised cyber exposure. Uneven capacity and the lack of a shared benchmark, the ministry said, left security measures inconsistent and open to weak spots.

Once notified, the PISF could serve as the national baseline standard for public and private entities, including autonomous bodies, corporations, CERTs and designated critical information infrastructure. According to the ministry, a single standard would support evidence-based investment decisions, protect citizen data and keep essential services running.