The federal Government of Pakistan has given authority to the country’s top level spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to track and trace all calls and messages in the apprehension of an offence against national security.
The federal cabinet has approved the relevant circular allowing a designated officer of the Pakistan Army Spy Agency ISI to carry out the tracing of calls under Section 54 of the PTA Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act 1996. However, the officer nominated by the agency cannot be of less than grade 18 revealed media sources.
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The Section 54 of the Telecommunications Act allows the federal government to authorise any person or persons to intercept calls and messages or to trace calls through any telecommunication system in the interest of national security.
“The federal government in the interest of national security and in the apprehension of any offence is pleased to authorise the officers […] to be nominated from time to time by ISI to intercept calls and messages or to trace calls through any communication system,” read the notification issued by the Ministry of Information on Monday.
The decision comes against the back drop of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government’s steps towards stricter social media regulations citing national security concerns and the prevailing ban on the social media platform X.
Earlier few months back May, PM Shehbaz approved to amend the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 which suggested the establishment of a Digital Rights Protection Authority.
Moreover, the government is also installing a national firewall on different internet service providers (ISPs) to rein in social media with filters capable of blocking unwanted content from reaching a wider audience.
The latest firewall will be used to inspect information originating from different internet protocol addresses.
