ISLAMABAD, AUGUST 15: The National Computer Emergency Team (CERT) Council has been established, as stated by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoIT&T).
The government has officially announced that the CERT Council has been formed in accordance with Rule 4 of the National Computer Emergency Rules 2023 for improving nation’s cybersecurity.
The purpose of the CERT Council is to act as a national body of consultation and advice for all CERT levels. Its main responsibilities include performing assessments, making sure CERT jobs are performed effectively, and resolving issues in accordance with the CERT Rules 2023.
Establishing this council is a critical first step in improving Pakistan’s cybersecurity infrastructure’s efficacy and cooperation.
With 15 members, the council will be the biggest forum of its sort in the nation. Ten members of the council have already received notice from the Ministry; the remaining members will be nominated in accordance with the established procedures. The deliberate and gradual establishment of the council facilitates the organized incorporation of important actors in the field of cybersecurity.
Notable individuals such the Federal Secretary for IT and Telecom, who will chair the council, and the Director General of the National CERT, who will act as secretary to the council, are among the members who have been notified.
In keeping with the cross-sectoral approach to cybersecurity governance, other noteworthy members include officials from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Division, and the Ministry of Interior.
Three more members have been selected for a one-year term, representing business, academia, and civil society. Mehzad Sahar, a Chief Information Security Officer from the industry; Dr. Muhammad Fareed Zafar, an associate professor from academia; and Babar Suhail, a representative from civil society, are among these members.Their participation is indicative of the government’s dedication to integrating a range of viewpoints into the country’s cybersecurity plan.
The creation of the CERT Council, according to MoIT&T, is a significant step forward for Pakistan’s attempts to strengthen its cybersecurity infrastructure. It is anticipated to greatly improve the nation’s capacity to counter cyberthreats and aid in the creation of a robust digital infrastructure. This action, which comes after the National Computer Emergency Response Team (nCERT) was formally established earlier, further unifies Pakistan’s cybersecurity efforts into a single, coherent structure.
