A monthly report on trends relating to digital rights, policies, practices & media
Tracking: Internet and digital policies and regulations
Digitalization in governance and socio-economic domains
Digital rights violations and protections
Digital rights advocacy and defense
Digital media and online free speech
Vol. 6, No. 8 – August 2026 Edition
Produced by Freedom Network – www.fnpk.org
SECTION 1: Internet and digital policies and regulations
- Federal and provincial governments (ministries and departments)
- Internet regulators
- Media regulators
- Telecom regulators
- Internet access / connectivity
Meeting discusses expanding access to high-speed internet
Date: August 1, 2026 – Source: The News
A meeting between Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema and Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima focused on expanding high-speed internet to villages, remote areas, and small towns to bridge the rural-urban digital divide and boost economic activity.
Cabinet approves cybersecurity framework
Date: August 11, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Pakistan Today, Source 3: Investify
Calling it an important guide for national cybersecurity, the federal cabinet approved the Pakistan Information Security Framework 2026, developed under the CERT Rules 2023 to establish unified baseline information security standards with central oversight.
Law minister seeks clarity on telecommunication ‘right of way’
Date: August 18, 2026 – Source: The News
Minister of Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar directed the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication to address potential legal and practical issues in the proposed Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Amendment Bill 2026, particularly those relating to ‘right of way’.
Telecommunication operator links 1,000 sites to 5G, seeks power-grid upgrades
Date: August 28, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Business Recorder (BR)
As cellular operator Jazz completed linking 1,000 cell sites nationwide to 5G, it urged the federal government to upgrade power infrastructure, noting that the new technology required significantly more electricity than existing 4G networks.
Government withdraws controversial telecommunication bill
Date: August 29, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Pakistan Today, Source 3: Business Recorder (BR)
The federal government withdrew the controversial Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, after proposed changes failed to achieve the intended objectives, particularly resolution of long-standing Right of Way (RoW) issues confronting the telecommunication sector.
Telecom regulator directs cellular operators to enforce uniform SIM policy
Date: August 30, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) directed all three telecommunication operators to implement a uniform policy on SIM expiry and recharge amounts, after finding that at least two were not complying with the prescribed terms and conditions.
Filling in the connectivity puzzle
Date: August 31, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Satellite depends on today’s technology, but it’s accelerating: cheaper launches, expanding constellations, and new entrants. For Pakistan, the issue is not demand but whether regulation, infrastructure, and pricing can keep pace.
SECTION 2: Digital rights advocacy and defense
- Pakistan-based citizens and civil society organizations
- Independent international digital rights organizations
- UN and global multilateral organizations
- Governmental and other sources
Date: August 16, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Pakistan recorded the steepest drop in mobile ownership and mobile internet gender gaps this year. As digital access expands from early online banking to real-time transactions, women’s participation has increased, though account ownership and actual control remain distant.
SECTION 3: Digital rights violations and protections
- Citizens and netizens – including case studies
- Media, journalists and other information practitioners
- Online free speech
- Online access to information
- Privacy violations
- Data protection
- Surveillance
- Misinformation / disinformation / fake news
- Cybercrime
Pakistan’s online privacy debate
Date: August 7, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The National Data Governance Policy was never meant to resolve every privacy concern. Its real message is that data governance will no longer wait for parliament – it is already taking shape through the contracts companies sign and the digital systems they build.
Date: August 9, 2026 – Source: The News
The internet has opened doors to knowledge, friendship, business and opportunity. Keeping those doors safe depends not only on technology but also on wise choices made by every individual. In the digital age, protecting our online privacy is not simply about keeping secrets.
Integrated surveillance reaches all districts of Punjab
Date: August 15, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz digitally inaugurated the Integrated Safe City Network, saying it aimed to free citizens “from the fear of crime”. Punjab is now the first province in the country to establish an integrated network across all its 41 districts and two tehsils.
NCCIA busts cybercrime gang, arrests three
Date: August 20, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) claimed to have arrested three members of an organized cybercrime gang impersonating government officials, threatening citizens with blocking their bank accounts and extorting money through fraudulent online claims.
Minister urges Google to promote digital safety
Date: August 20, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry called for enhanced cooperation with Google to promote a safe and peaceful digital environment in Pakistan, stressing the need for proactive monitoring of social media in view of the country’s security challenges.
Google puts $500,000 behind Pakistan’s digital safety push
Date: August 21, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Pakistan Today, Source 3: Business Recorder (BR)
Google launched the Digital Pasban initiative in Pakistan, committing $500,000 to equip 200,000 households with Urdu-language digital safety tools, parental workshops, and AI-safety resources aimed at protecting families from growing online risks.
Government tightens watch on civil servants’ personal social media accounts
Date: August 21, 2026 – Source: The News
The federal government tightened monitoring of civil servants’ personal social media accounts as it moved to strictly enforce the new Civil Servants Conduct Rules 2026, with officials barred from posting photographs or proceedings of official meetings on private platforms.
Kaspersky identifies new malware variant targeting government entities
Date: August 21, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Global cybersecurity company Kaspersky identified an updated malware variant that allowed attackers remote access during digital intrusions targeting organizations and government entities in Pakistan, Myanmar, Mongolia, India, and Russia.
Date: August 22, 2026 – Source: Dawn
As Pakistan digitizes and data becomes as potent as oil, people must grasp the risks of what they share online. A phone already reveals who you are, what you do, where your money sits and what you want – and whoever holds that data can shape your choices.
Pakistan can no longer wait for a personal data protection law
Date: August 24, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Pakistan’s digital economy is outpacing its personal-data safeguards. Cybercrime and sectoral laws act after harm; a data protection law prevents it by limiting collection, ensuring legitimate use, restricting retention, mandating safeguards, and requiring continuous compliance.
Date: August 31, 2026 – Source: The News
Digital finance moves in seconds, and fraud prevention must keep pace. Smarter verification, real-time monitoring, quick freezes, action on mule accounts, coordination and consumer awareness can protect users while the sector grows. Protecting digital finance must be a national priority.
SECTION 4: Digitalization
- Digitalization in governance sectors / e-governance
- Digitalization in social and development sectors
- Digitalization in business and commercial sectors
Date: August 1, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Pakistan’s push to build its technological future is commendable, but true progress demands equal focus on the challenges it creates. Advancement for some must not deepen the suffering of those already deprived of water and electricity.
FBISE, FDE win digital transformation awards
Date: August 1, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) and the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) won Public Sector Transformation Awards 2026 for their digital initiatives.
PTCL likely to acquire digital wallet company
Date: August 1, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Speculation persists that after acquiring Telenor Pakistan, the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) may now be eyeing a leading digital wallet – potentially bringing the country’s foremost digital financial services platform under its umbrella.
Major revenue reforms, expansion of digital land services approved for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Date: August 2, 2026 – Source: The News
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government approved a series of reforms aimed at modernizing the province’s revenue system, including the early implementation of an e-registry system, digital land records, and improved public service delivery.
Smart climate-budgeting: digitizing the architecture of green finance in Pakistan
Date: August 2, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Pakistan’s $348 billion climate gap by 2030 demands fiscal overhaul. Embedding algorithmic Climate Budget Tagging (CBT) in a digital Green Finance System (GFS) within the public financial framework curbs leaks, ensuring every rupee for resilience is tracked and aligned with adaption goals in real time.
Date: August 3, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Pakistan’s banking industry has become adept at digitizing what customers see: mobile applications are sleeker, digital payments are instant, account opening takes minutes, and QR codes are steadily replacing cash exchanges.
Gilgit-Baltistan enlists SUPARCO for tracking glacial dynamics
Date: August 6, 2026 – Source: The News
Gilgit-Baltistan, confronting rapid glacier melt and expanding glacial lakes, is increasingly relying on Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission’s (SUPARCO) satellite intelligence to track glacial dynamics and anticipate outburst-flood risks.
Government enforces telecommunication equipment standards regulations
Date: August 6, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
The government formally enforced Telecommunication Equipment Standards Regulations 2024, making compliance with internationally recognized technical, safety and electromagnetic standards mandatory for all telecommunication equipment manufactured, imported, sold or used in Pakistan.
CDWP proposes establishment of dedicated space center
Date: August 7, 2026 – Source 1: Express Tribune, Source 2: Pakistan Today
The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) sent for approval the Rs37 billion Pakistan Space Center project to the National Economic Council (NEC). The initiative is meant to build local capacity to design, assemble, integrate, test, and qualify satellites, reducing Pakistan’s reliance on foreign facilities.
Date: August 8, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Pakistan’s plans to allocate 2,000 megawatts for Bitcoin mining and AI data centers sparked debate over whether the country can spare that much power. It is a fair concern, but not the most useful one. Bitcoin mining, AI training and real-time digital services place very different demands on the grid.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority reduces eSIM charges to Rs1,500
Date: August 8, 2026 – Source: The News
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) lowered eSIM-related charges, setting a maximum retail price of Rs1,500 for issuing an eSIM or converting a physical SIM to an eSIM nationwide, in line with its mandate to protect consumers and ensure affordable cellular services.
$60 billion digital economy at risk without action
Date: August 8, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Global supply chains are digitizing fast, and Pakistan’s entry into the digital marketplace hinges on choices made now. With a potential digital economy of $60 billion by 2030, the window is narrowing. The blueprint exists; only the resolve to act is missing.
Education boards approve digital result cards
Date: August 12, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
All nine education boards in Punjab, including the Board of Rawalpindi Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), approved the introduction of a Digital Result Card System, marking a significant step towards the digitization of examination records and student services.
Meta, Pakistan to train 1,000 SMEs
Date: August 12, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, in partnership with Meta, launched the Small Business Growth Academy to accelerate digital transformation of at least 1,000 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).
Gaps drive AI push at private hospitals
Date: August 13, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Private hospitals across Pakistan are ramping up investments in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud systems and data analytics as competition in multi-disciplinary care intensifies. The goal is to build seamless physical-to-digital patient journeys and meet rising demand for international-standard services.
How ‘Digital Pakistan’ can defeat corruption
Date: August 13, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Corruption in Pakistan is not just moral – it is structural. Whenever an official holds discretionary control over a file, stamp or signature, rent-seeking emerges. After decades of courts, commissions and slogans, the most effective anti-corruption tool today is digitization.
Punjab government launches ‘paperless’ governance
Date: August 14, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Punjab went paperless as Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz launched new government-to-government, government-to-business and government-to-citizen digital services, saying the province was the first to deploy e-FOAS, e-Procurement, e-Pay, e-Auction, OneMap, HRMIS, and a central data warehouse.
Pakistan’s first lunar rover named ‘Jinnah-1’
Date: August 14, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Digital Pakistan (DP), Source 3: NDTV
Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) announced “Jinnah-1” as the official name of the country’s first lunar rover. The rover is scheduled to be sent to the Moon in 2029 as part of China’s Chang’e-8 mission, where it will conduct scientific research at the lunar south pole.
Government mulls tokenization of real estate, other assets
Date: August 14, 2026 – Source 1: Express Tribune, Source 2: Business Recorder (BR)
Pakistan is examining digital assets and tokenization for real estate and other investments, the Finance Division said, following a meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurungzeb and Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) chairperson Dr Sohail Munir on advancing digital finance and economic access.
NADRA unveils chip-less, QR code-based identity cards
Date: August 15, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Pakistan Today, Source 3: Gulf News
In a step towards self-reliance and digital access, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) launched a new chip-less National Identity Card (NIC) built around a secure QR code, replacing the imported microchip used for the past 14 years.
Government launches initiative to provide AI education
Date: August 15, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government formally launched Global Virtual School (GVS), the first such initiative in the public sector by any government in the country, to provide virtual artificial intelligence (AI) education, allegedly linking up hundreds of schools across the length and breadth of the province.
Pakistan’s digital economy turns profitable
Date: August 15, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Pakistan’s digital economy is beginning to move from potential to proof due to expanding digital payments and platforms shifting from subsidized growth towards profitability and sustainable unit economics.
Broadening the outlook for Pakistan’s IT exports
Date: August 17, 2026 – Source: Dawn
While Pakistan’s information technology (IT) services have surged, a study warned the boom rests on weak foundations, noting that once remittance-routed IT income and earnings from Pakistani-founded firms registered abroad are counted, the sector’s real size may approach only $5 billion.
Date: August 17, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Pakistan’s crypto push is being framed as technological progress, but the real issue is whether the State has built the legal and regulatory foundations for sovereign-level projects. Pakistan’s record of reforms launched without strong institutions shows how weak governance can derail policy goals.
Prime Minister orders full digitalization of government records
Date: August 18, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Presiding over a meeting on reforms in the National Information Technology Board (NITB), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the digitalization of the entire government record to facilitate citizens in accessing government services.
Government seeks to boost ICT exports to $25 billion by 2030
Date: August 18, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said that the government aimed to achieve $25.1 billion in information and communication technology (ICT) exports by 2030, including $15.3 billion from information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services and $9.8 billion from telecommunications.
All government-to-person payments to go digital
Date: August 18, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
The federal government set an ambitious target of making all government-to-person (G2P) payments fully digital and eliminating the use of physical cheques as part of its drive towards a cashless economy, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said.
Google opens shop in Pakistan
Date: August 19, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Arab News, Source 3: Mettis Global
Google opened its first local office in Pakistan to expand its presence in the country as Islamabad seeks to accelerate digital transformation and achieve its target of increasing annual information technology (IT) exports to $30 billion.
Date: August 19, 2026 – Source: The News
A self-reliant national artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem is achievable only through timely, well-designed policies. AI-driven governance could be transformative for Pakistan. If small firms can build their own AI systems, the State can do the same.
Haj digital system, application launched
Date: August 19, 2026 – Source: The News
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf inaugurated the “Hajj 2027” digital system and its dedicated Haj mobile application, formally opening the digital platform for pilgrimage registrations.
Date: August 20, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Pakistani developers, publishers and start-ups have long faced account and monetization issues with Google, often limited to email support across time zones. Although local presence may ease some of that friction, Google remains the gatekeeper for how their work is discovered and monetized.
Punjab tells arms dealers to make digital inventories
Date: August 21, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune
The Punjab Home Department ordered all licensed arms dealers to maintain a mandatory digital inventory, requiring them to upload records of their firearms, ammunition and transactions. The move is meant to tighten oversight of the licensed arms trade and curb the circulation of illegal weapons.
Date: August 21, 2026 – Source: Dawn
A major Pakistani textile group’s decision to build the country’s largest Tier III data center raises an obvious question: why would a textile group invest in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure? Because capital follows opportunity – and AI is emerging as the biggest economic opportunity of this era.
Sindh, Chinese firm agree to set up AI-ready data center in Karachi
Date: August 21, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News, Source 3: Business Recorder (BR)
A Chinese telecommunication operator sought the Sindh government’s support for its planned Tier III, AI-ready data center in Karachi, describing the project as a landmark investment in the province’s digital infrastructure.
Date: August 21, 2026 – Source: The News
To judge is to reason. As long as that remains the core of our judicial system, artificial intelligence cannot replace judicial authority. It may assist with prediction and procedure, but it cannot supplant the duty to justify, distinguish, and, when necessary, depart from the patterns of the past.
Date: August 21, 2026 – Source: The News
At a time when multinationals seem to be exiting and foreign investment remains scarce, this week offered a rare bright spot: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated Google’s new Islamabad office, calling it a significant milestone in Pakistan’s digital transformation.
Punjab to tap technology to curb graft
Date: August 21, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Addressing a ceremony at the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) office, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz stressed the need to use information technology (IT) to curb graft, reduce administrative costs and ensure efficient delivery of government services.
Government eyes AI trade ecosystem
Date: August 22, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Ministry of Commerce reviewed proposals to develop a secure, integrated and AI-enabled digital ecosystem for trade, aimed at safeguarding data exchange, building local infrastructure and accelerating the country’s digital transformation.
Pakistan, Google forge partnership on AI
Date: August 21, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News
Pakistan and Google signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which Google will give students free one-year access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including Gemini, and collaborate with the government to set up an AI Center of Excellence in Islamabad.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly approves digital payments bill
Date: August 22, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Promotion of Digital Payment Act 2026, aimed at transforming the province into a cashless economy, while a stormy provincial assembly session witnessed a heated confrontation over a quorum call.
Crypto operators in Pakistan given deadline to seek NOCs
Date: August 23, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) set September 5, 2026 as the deadline for existing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) to submit applications for no-objection certificates (NOCs), warning that those failing to do so would have to cease operations.
BISP introduces digital wallets for payments to beneficiaries
Date: August 25, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) rolled out a digital wallet payment system, with 90 percent of the women beneficiaries already registered, to ensure financial assistance is disbursed transparently, conveniently and securely.
Pakistan, Google team up for AI-driven future
Date: August 25, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Pakistan and Google signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in a bid to support the country’s target of developing a $30 billion digital economy. The partnership covers digital skills, artificial intelligence, education, digital payments and technology-driven government transformation.
Date: August 26, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Journalism has lost audiences to new technologies before. This time, artificial intelligence (AI) does not only decide which report is seen. It can rewrite the report, mix it with weaker sources and deliver the result without the reader reaching the newsroom.
Google has arrived; but is Pakistan ready?
Date: August 28, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Google’s arrival in Pakistan is certainly good news, but technology means little without access. Students need a good teacher, a functioning school, electricity, internet and a device – along with an education that teaches them how to critically think and utilize digital resources effectively.
Date: August 29, 2026 – Source: The News
Pakistan’s National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy 2025 already outlines the intellectual property reforms needed for the AI era; the next step is converting those commitments into enforceable law. Amendments should clarify human creative input, set rules for AI-assisted copyright, ensure lawful training access and balanced text-and-data mining, and require proportionate transparency.
Pakistan, Huawei to expand AI cooperation
Date: August 29, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Business Recorder (BR)
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz met officials of Chinese technology firm Huawei and discussed expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and smart public services.
Government-to-government deals hit private sector
Date: August 30, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Pakistan Telecommunication Access Providers Association (PTAPA) President Shahid Farooq demanded an end to government-to-government (G2G) direct contracting, saying it was stifling investment and innovation in the information technology and telecommunication sector.
Preparing Pakistan’s youth for AI-disrupted job market
Date: August 31, 2026 – Source 1: Express Tribune, Source 2: Investify
Pakistan does not merely need more employable young people. It needs an education system capable of continually producing employability. That is the challenge that lies beyond the jobs of today – and before the jobs of tomorrow.
Freelancers Pakistan’s future workforce: Governor Sindh
Date: August 31, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi said that Pakistani freelancers were an emerging digital workforce, playing an important role in the national economy, earning valuable foreign exchange and projecting a positive image of Pakistan around the world.
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OBJECTIVES: This series of monthly report aims to:
- Track developments revolving around the framework of digitalization in Pakistan including policy and advocacy on digital rights, policy enforcements and digital rights violations, covering viewpoints of government, civil society, human rights community including digital rights campaigners, media, citizen journalists and other information practitioners, and regulators of electronic media, internet and telecom sectors, and netizens.
- Monitor the interface between digital rights and Pakistan’s overall legal framework and how developments around them impact freedom of expression and access to information online as well as diversity and pluralism in Pakistan’s digital landscape, cyberspace and internet domains.
- Follow developments around the themes of digital rights, freedom of expression, access to information, privacy, surveillance, data protection, access to internet services, telecom policies, etc.
INFORMATION SOURCES: This report monitors, among others, the following sources of information:
- Government: Federal and provincial cabinets
- Ministries: Related ministries, including Information and Broadcasting, Information Technology (IT) and Telecom, Human Rights, Science and Technology, Commerce and Industry, etc.
- Legislatures: Senate, National Assembly, provincial assemblies, relevant standing committees
- Regulators: Pakistan telecommunications Authority (PTA), Pakistan Electronic Media regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Press Council of Pakistan (PPC), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), etc.
- Global organizations: UN/Unesco, International Media Support (IMS), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), etc.
- National organizations: Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), BoloBhi, Media Matters for Democracy (MMFD), Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), etc.
- Media: Dawn, The News, Express Tribune, The Nation, Pakistan Today, The Friday Times, etc.
- Social Media:Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- Local networks: Journalists Safety Hubs Network, Alliance on Diversity & Pluralism in Media, etc.
- Research groups: Gallup Pakistan, IPSOS Pakistan, etc.
