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. 7 – July 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
Date: July 1, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Pakistan needs stronger broadband, wider fiber, and faster progress toward modern networks. But legislation turns dangerous when it creates uncertainty around rights citizens expect the state to protect.
Towers, satellites, and Pakistan’s digital blind spot
Date: July 1, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Pakistan needs Right of Way (ROW) reform, 5G rollout, and regulated satellite broadband. Connectivity’s future is fiber and satellite – layered infrastructure vital to the nation’s geography, population, and disaster risks.
Submarine cable fault disrupts internet
Date: July 3, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said it was closely monitoring internet traffic disruptions caused by a fault in the international submarine cable system, which was likely to cause intermittent degradation in service quality and connectivity.
Pakistan jumps 27 places in ICT index
Date: July 4, 2026 – Source 1: Express Tribune, Source 2: Pakistan Today
Pakistan climbed 27 places in the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) ICT Development Index 2026, with its score rising from 56.4 to 67.7 – a 20 percent improvement. It also recorded a 22.8-point gain in the connectivity pillar and achieved a Meaningful Connectivity score of 79.
Government moves to allay fears over new telecommunication bill
Date: July 6, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune
The government denied allegations that the Pakistan Telecommunication (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was prepared to provide undue benefit to any individual or company, insisting that the proposed legislation was intended to modernize the country’s outdated telecommunications framework.
PTA issues 47 district-level internet licenses
Date: July 11, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued 47 district-level Class Licenses for internet services this year as part of its efforts to expand broadband infrastructure in the country. Documents showed Lahore received the highest number of licenses at seven.
Internet quality poor even in cities, parliamentary panel told
Date: July 15, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune
A parliamentary panel expressed concern over the deteriorating quality of internet services across Pakistan, lamenting that poor connectivity, slow internet speeds and repeated call failures were affecting users not only in remote areas but also in major urban centers, including Karachi.
5G services launched in 22 cities under initial rollout
Date: July 15, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) informed a parliamentary panel that telecommunication operators had launched 5G services in 22 cities under the first phase of the rollout, although no new 5G infrastructure had yet been deployed in the country.
Date: July 21, 2026 – Source: The News
The risk is not reform – it is clinging to laws built for a voice-only era. Roads powered industry, electricity reshaped manufacturing; fiber will drive digital economies. Pakistan’s edge in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, fintech, and digitals services rests on infrastructure – and that demands laws fit for today.
Parliamentarians protest mobile service suspension
Date: July 21, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Government and opposition members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly protested the closure of mobile towers and suspension of signals in Bannu, Bajaur, and Tank districts, highlighting severe hardships faces by local residents.
PPP seeks restoration of internet ahead of AJK polls
Date: July 23, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: The Nation
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Muhammad Yasin urged Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) chief election commissioner (CEC) to take up the issue of prolonged internet shutdown with the relevant authorities, arguing that it was adversely affecting electioneering and voters’ access to information.
Internet partially restored in Mirpur after 48-day closure
Date: July 23, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Pakistan Today
Just days before the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, internet services began returning to the southern Mirpur division after a 48-day shutdown that had disrupted education, businesses and electioneering.
Ufone-Telenor merger: Proposed re-branding ignites controversy
Date: July 27, 2026 – Source 1: Pakistan Today, Source 2: Business Recorder (BR)
The government allegedly put the brakes on a proposed plan to re-brand the merged Ufone-Telenor company as “e&”, amid legal and governance questions over the removal of the word “Pakistan” from the operator’s corporate identity and the authority of the Ufone board to approve such a move.
Internet connectivity issues stall girls’ education
Date: July 28, 2026 – Source 1: Express Tribune, Source 2: Pakistan Today
Limited internet in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s merged districts worsened girls’ education, with only 11 percent of women online, 17 percent literacy, and out-of-school rates as high as 66 percent in North Waziristan and above 60 percent in Bajaur and South Waziristan.
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
Getting the balance right online
Date: July 1, 2026 – Source: The News
Pakistan has placed digital transformation at the center of its national ambitions. With over half of Pakistan’s 240 million people under the age of 30, the choices made today regarding digital access and online safety will shape how an entire generation learns, connects and participates in the digital future.
Pakistan leads global progress in ‘bridging mobile gender gap’
Date: July 2, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Arab News
Pakistan recorded the fastest narrowing of the mobile internet gender gap among 14 low- and middle-income countries surveyed by GSMA, according to its 2026 report, but 28 percent of Pakistani women who use mobile internet still rely entirely on someone else’s phone.
Date: July 6, 2026 – Source: The News
The GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026 showed Pakistan narrowing its mobile internet gap from 25 points to eight, with women adopting faster than men. Mobile ownership gaps also fell sharply – from 38 percent in 2024 to 27 percent in 2025 – the steepest improvement among surveyed countries.
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
Dedicated cell established for cybercrime complaints for cases of women, children
Date: July 2, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Pakistan Today
The Punjab National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) established a dedicated special cell to expedite the registration, investigation, and resolution of cybercrime cases involving women, children, and girls.
LHC rules WhatsApp admins, creators not automatically liable for members’ posts
Date: July 3, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Pakistan Today
The Lahore High Court (LHC) ruled that criminal responsibility in WhatsApp group cases must rest on a person’s own proven conduct, holding that neither creating not managing a group automatically makes someone answerable for every message posted by others.
Date: July 8, 2026 – Source: The News
The digital revolution has transformed communication in Pakistan. Applications such as WhatsApp have become indispensable. While these platforms have enabled instant communication, they have also raised important legal questions concerning criminal liability for online content.
Senate panel grills NCCIA over delay in processing of cybercrime complaints
Date: July 9, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights voiced concern over delays in complaint processing by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and technical flaws in its online portal.
Gang selling telecom subscribers’ data busted
Date: July 11, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) claimed to have busted a gang allegedly involved in illegal acquisition, possession, and commercial sale of sensitive telecommunications subscribers’ data, arresting three suspects.
Over 7,000 social media accounts faced action on Pakistan’s complaints: report
Date: July 17, 2026 – Source: The News
According to data published in The Freedom Report 2026 by Mishal Pakistan, the government of Pakistan reported a total of 15,391 social media accounts to international digital platforms for allegedly hosting sensitive and unlawful content, resulting in enforcement actions taken against 7,036 accounts.
Protecting Pakistan’s personal data
Date: July 19, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Pakistan’s approach to protecting citizens’ data has long been reactive. Despite the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (2016) criminalizing data theft, successive governments have done little to secure their own departments – the country’s largest repositories of personal information.
FIA sets up cryptocurrency investigation unit
Date: July 21, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) launched a technology-driven offensive against cryptocurrency-related crime by establishing a dedicated Virtual Currency Cell (VCC), an integrated Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT) Fusion Center and an artificial intelligence-based risk assessment system.
Can Pakistan keep under-16s off social media?
Date: July 21, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Once praised for connection, social media now faces scrutiny. With phones and platforms shaping daily life, governments debate shielding children from harm. Pakistan has joined the debate, as Punjab pushes parental consent for under-16 accounts – echoing Senate and court efforts still without law.
Geopolitics spurs data localization
Date: July 21, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Pakistan plans to shift public and private data from foreign servers to local centers, a move shaped by regional tensions and framed as part of a broader cybersecurity push. The goal is to safeguard critical information against rising cross-border cyber threats.
FIA sets up dark web probe unit
Date: July 26, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) established a dedicated dark web investigation unit to track and prosecute criminals operating in the shadowy realm, with the aim of effectively countering threats to the country’s interests originating from encrypted online platforms.
Adopting AI may reduce banking fraud
Date: July 26, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
As online scams grow daily, experts noted that adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in Pakistan’s banking sector could significantly reduce fraud by enabling institutions to spot suspicious transactions in real time and prevent losses for customers and banks.
SECTION 4: Digitalization
- Digitalization in governance sectors / e-governance
- Digitalization in social and development sectors
- Digitalization in business and commercial sectors
State Bank unveils redesigned ‘user-friendly’ website
Date: July 1, 2026 – Source 1: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Source 2: Dawn
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) launched its redesigned website, promising a faster, easier, and more user-friendly experience for citizens, businesses, financial institutions, researchers, journalists, and other stakeholders.
Date: July 1, 2026 – Source: The News
Pakistan has invested heavily in artificial intelligence (AI), but the real challenge is using those funds wisely. More certificates alone will yield little impact; building a national startup ecosystem through incubators, accelerators, and venture financing could transform these investments into jobs.
World Bank approves $70 million for digital Punjab
Date: July 2, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The Nation, Source 3: Pakistan Today
The World Bank approved a $70 million loan for Pakistan’s Connected Punjab Programme (CPP) to help the province expand broadband internet access, improve digital service delivery, and enhance cashless transactions.
Date: July 4, 2026 – Source: The News
Pakistan’s digital legal framework is, in many aspects, still under construction, as it is in most countries navigating the rapid transition from analogue to digital life. Even so, its broad architecture is now visible. Ultimately, the success of these reforms will not be measured by the passage of laws alone.
Treat freelancers like digital diaspora
Date: July 6, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Higher tax slabs wouldn’t boost freelancer revenue – they would drive it abroad. With the United Arab Emirates (UAE) taxing zero on foreign-source income, a Pakistani digital freelancer can get a visa, bill through an Emirati account, and bypass Pakistan’s banking system entirely.
The surrender to algorithmic control
Date: July 6, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Imagine a digital landscape where algorithms are optimized to capture human attention, only to feed that data back into generative models that create endless, hyper-personalized feeds of synthetic media. The content is perfectly engineered for an audience that is losing the desire to create indigenously.
Telenor-Ufone merger may trigger job cuts
Date: July 6, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Pakistan’s biggest telecommunication merger of Telenor and Ufone has entered a new phase, with the newly merged company expected to lay off hundreds of employees as part of a large-scale restructuring aimed at eliminating duplicate positions across multiple departments.
The invisible architect: algorithms in social media
Date: July 7, 2026 – Source: The Express Tribune
In the contemporary, social media platforms have become central to how individuals communicate, consume information and form opinions. At the core of these platforms lie algorithms, invisible yet powerful systems that organize, filter and prioritize content for billions of users worldwide.
Sindh moves to digitize exams across all boards
Date: July 9, 2026 – Source: The Express Tribune
The Sindh government decided to introduce a technology-driven examination system across all provincial boards, with e-marking and digitalization forming part of sweeping education reforms.
AI, drone traffic watch launched in Lahore
Date: July 9, 2026 – Source: The Express Tribune
Lahore launched an AI-powered drone traffic monitoring system as part of its digital road safety drive. The drones will identify congestion, flag engineering flaws, and support long-term traffic management across the metropolitan city.
Scholar terms cryptocurrency transactions impermissible under religious law
Date: July 10, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Islamic scholar Mufti Taqi Usman declared purchasing goods and services with cryptocurrency impermissible, citing expert religious research that found cryptocurrency does not qualify as “wealth”.
The dilemma of underage social media use
Date: July 10, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Social media’s promise as a global equalizer has dimmed. Governments are rethinking the balance between freedom and protection, and Pakistan must decide if under-16’s can safely navigate platforms built to keep them hooked.
Pakistan’s IT exports diversify beyond US, Europe
Date: July 11, 2026 – Source: Dawn
After achieving $4.5 billion in information technology (IT) product exports in fiscal year 2025-26, Pakistani small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are actively expanding into key Asia-Pacific hubs such as Japan and Singapore, moving away from traditional US and European markets.
PEIRA greenlights regulatory framework for virtual schools in Islamabad
Date: July 11, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Private Education Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) approved the first regulatory framework for virtual schools in the federal capital, aiming to expand equitable access to quality education for out-of-school children, those in remote areas and students with special needs.
Punjab launches simplified digital tax payment system
Date: July 11, 2026 – Source: The News
The Punjab government introduced a simplified digital tax deduction system to promote transparency, facilitate taxpayers and encourage digital payments across the province. Under the new mechanism, sales tax deducted through e-payments will now be transferred directly to the government.
Rawalpindi aims for swift digital birth, death certificates
Date: July 12, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Rawalpindi division administration directed district authorities in Rawalpindi city, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, and Jhelum to digitize and ensure transparency in issuing birth, death, and other registration certificates.
Date: July 13, 2026 – Source: The News
Telecommunication operators are becoming the digital state’s nervous system. In Pakistan, with 197 million subscribers, 142 million broadband users, and nearly 60 percent internet penetration, connectivity is a fast-growing sector shaping governance, commerce, and social life.
Fiscal year 2025-26 IT exports rise to over $4.5 billion
Date: July 13, 2026 – Source 1: Business Recorder (BR), Source 2: Arab News
Pakistan exported $4.5 billion worth of information technology (IT) products and services during fiscal year 2025-26, as the country’s digital economy continued to expand and technology firms diversified into new markets beyond the United States and Europe.
E-domicile, e-local certificate service launched in Balochistan
Date: July 14, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Balochistan government launched e-domicile and e-local certificate system, marking a major step towards digital governance and transparent public service delivery. Once operational, people across the province would be able to apply for these certificates using a mobile application.
Supreme Court completes digitization of all pending cases
Date: July 14, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Supreme Court completed the digitization of all pending case records by scanning them into searchable Optical Character Recognition (OCR) format, barcoding and digitally cataloguing a total of 44,995 case files for integration with its Case Information Management System (CIMS).
Artificial Intelligence Authority on the cards
Date: July 15, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced major investments in digital skills, technology, and education to prepare youth for a knowledge-based economy, alongside the creation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Artificial Intelligence Authority to drive innovation and opportunities.
Date: July 15, 2026 – Source: The News
Pakistan’s digital economy, long dominated by cash, is gaining momentum as annual digital transactions rise from Rs6.9 billion to Rs11.3 billion – reflecting the state’s push to modernize its financial ecosystem.
Prime Minister directs remittances from abroad to be fully digitized
Date: July 15, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed progress in the country’s drive towards a cashless economy, highlighting an increase in digital transactions and directing that all overseas remittances should be routed through digital channels to strengthen transparency, financial inclusion, and economic growth.
Pakistan’s crypto push clouded by religious edict, regulator asks for clarification
Date: July 16, 2026 – Source 1: The News, Source 2: Reuters
The Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) asked a Karachi-based seminary to distinguish between speculative cryptocurrencies and asset-backed digital tokens. PVARA chairman said he had sought the clarification after the seminary ruled such purchases impermissible under Islamic law.
Pakistan takes major step forward in digital payments
Date: July 16, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmed welcomed the launch of HBL, UnionPay International and PayPak co-badged debit card, describing the partnership as an important milestone in Pakistan’s journey towards a modern, resilient and inclusive digital payments ecosystem.
Date: July 16, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
The Supreme Court digitized 44,995 pending case files, integrating them into its online management system. Searchable through OCR, the initiative had already reduced the backlog, with 11,999 cases decided during the process, proving technology can speed up justice without disrupting daily work.
Uniform policy for free e-SIM transfer in the works
Date: July 17, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Amid concerns about the restrictions surrounding the transfer of e-SIM cards from one phone to another, the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat was informed that consumers would soon be able to transfer their e-SIM cards at least 10 times without any cost.
Pakistan joins global AI organization as founding member
Date: July 17, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune
Pakistan became a founding member of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar signing the agreement in Shanghai and reaffirming the country’s commitment to advancing global cooperation in artificial intelligence.
Telecommunication operators pay Rs4.3 billion fines for violations, Senate panel informed
Date: July 17, 2026 – Source: The News
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat that fines amounting to Rs4.3 billion had been imposed on telecommunication operators during the last two years for service-related violations.
Mobile phones worth $1.8 billion imported during 2025-26
Date: July 17, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $1.88 billion in fiscal year 2025-26, up from $1.49 billion in 2024-25 – a growth of over 26 percent. Official data showed the rupee value of imports reached Rs530.4 billion in 2025-26.
Digital exchanges eye Pakistani investors
Date: July 17, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Several global exchanges are reportedly focusing on Pakistan’s market to attract investors after the military crisis in the Middle East shifted their interest in different venues, particularly to multiple high-dividend, accessible, and secure options.
Date: July 18, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Pakistan’s decision to join WAICO as a founding member is more than a diplomatic gesture. It offers a chance to claim a role in one of the century’s defining technological shifts. But membership will matter only if the country translates it into real momentum at home.
Date: July 18, 2026 – Source: Business Recorder (BR)
A cashless economy needs reliable internet connectivity. However, while political leaders celebrate digital progress, poor connectivity and outages still cripple services – even in bigger cities. The gap between vision and reality is stark.
China to train 300,000 Pakistani youths in digital skills annually
Date: July 20, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Business Recorder (BR)
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal announced that China will train 300,000 Pakistani youth in digital skills each year, strengthening the country’s technology sector and knowledge economy.
The system that pays everyone but us
Date: July 20, 2026 – Source: The News
Pakistan drives global platforms with its audience but is locked out of payouts: TikTok excludes 62 million users, X relies on Stripe, YouTube pays pennies here, and PayPal never entered. Two hundred and fifty million people are leverage – Islamabad must use it.
Prime Minister launches AI-powered system to digitize governance
Date: July 22, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Business Recorder (BR)
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched an AI-based system for his office, describing it as a transformative digital platform that will modernize governance by recording, communicating, monitoring and tracking every directive issued by the premier.
Samsung invited to make Pakistan its export hub
Date: July 23, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Asia News Network (ANN)
Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan invited Samsung to transform Pakistan into a regional manufacturing, refurbishment and export hub for mobile phones, assuring the company of government facilitation for exports, value addition and industrial development.
PSW launches mobile application for traders
Date: July 23, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
Pakistan Single Window (PSW) launched its mobile application to improve digital access to cross-border trade services. Through the application, importers, exporters and custom clearing agents and other trade stakeholders will be able to securely access key trade services on their mobile phones.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa launches digital transformation policy and roadmap
Date: July 24, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Mettis Global
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government launched its Digital Transformation Policy and Roadmap 2030, built around five strategic pillars, nine key objectives, 32 thematic domains, and 915 strategic interventions aimed at modernizing public services and promoting a digital economy.
Punjab launches drone surveillance for early flood warning
Date: July 24, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: The News
Punjab launched drone monitoring for early flood warning, with drone surveillance of all barrages, rivers and head works. Officials said Safe City drones were being used to monitor water levels in rivers, headworks and barrages to facilitate early detection of incoming flood waves.
Date: July 24, 2026 – Source: Express Tribune
An agreement between the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDS), NUTECH and NED University was signed to establish the country’s first-ever Center for Industrial Innovation and AI (CIINI) at the National University of Technology (NUTECH) in Islamabad.
Varsities told to align curricula, teaching systems with artificial intelligence
Date: July 25, 2026 – Source: The News
Organized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), a meeting of vice chancellors from over 80 public and private universities marked the start of aligning curricula, degree programs, and teaching systems with artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies.
Prime Minister inaugurates country’s ‘largest’ data center
Date: July 25, 2026 – Source 1: Dawn, Source 2: Express Tribune, Source 3: Business Recorder (BR)
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the Sky47 AI Cloud and Data Center in Rawalpindi, describing it as a major step forward in Pakistan’s digital infrastructure and saying the project offered “impregnable security” and would help create “a new dynamic and forward-looking Pakistan”.
Date: July 26, 2026 – Source: Dawn
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) ordered ministries to adopt an AI-based digital system, ending reliance on paper files. The real challenge is whether it changes how government works. Without shared data, accountability, and streamlined processes, AI will only automate inefficiency.
Date: July 27, 2026 – Source: Dawn
Pakistan has a young population, rising information technology (IT) exports, and growing software talent but lacks scale, research, infrastructure, investment, and global access. The World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO) offers a chance to close these gaps if pursued with a clear strategy.
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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.
