Minister Attaullah Tarar Proposes National Cybersecurity and Social Media Awareness Council

What Happened

During the inaugural ceremony of Cyber Security Awareness Week 2026 in Islamabad, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar proposed the establishment of a National Cybersecurity and Social Media Awareness Council [1, 2]. The event was organized by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) under the theme “Building a Safe, Secure and Resilient Cyberspace” [3].

According to the Minister, the proposed council aims to:

• Strengthen institutional coordination [3].
• Promote digital literacy [3].
• Enhance public awareness regarding misinformation and emerging cyber threats [3].
• Coordinate awareness initiatives throughout the year to ensure sustained engagement [3].

Tarar suggested that the council could include federal ministries and divisions, provincial governments, regulatory authorities, and other relevant organizations as members [2, 3]. He proposed that the PTA steer the process and suggested holding consultations within one to two weeks to move the initiative forward [3]. He also requested that stakeholders include this proposal in the concluding declaration of the event [3].

The Minister proposed several other measures to address digital security:

• Making digital literacy a compulsory component of the education system at primary, secondary, college, and university levels [3].
• Implementing a research-based system to ensure the curriculum is regularly updated alongside technological developments [2, 3].
• Establishing dedicated digital literacy cells within government organizations to train officials and the bureaucracy [3].
• Requiring mandatory labeling of AI-generated content on social media platforms to help users distinguish it from other content [3].
• Using targeted messaging through micro-influencers and specialized digital platforms rather than relying solely on conventional mass communication [3].

Tarar noted that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, and the PTA are currently holding discussions with various social media platforms [3]. He also emphasized the need for coordination with the Social Media Protection and Regulation Authority (SMPRA) [3].

Who Is Affected

• Students: The proposal suggests including digital literacy in school, college, and university curricula to teach students about online scams, deepfakes, and protecting personal information [3].
• Citizens: The Minister stated that digital literacy should become compulsory for every citizen to protect them from financial scams and privacy breaches [2, 3].
• Government Officials: The proposal includes providing relevant training to government officers and the bureaucracy [1, 3].
• Organizations: Tarar urged organizations across Pakistan to establish digital literacy cells [1].