ISLAMABAD, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 14th Aug, 2026) Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Friday stressed the growing importance of technology and cybersecurity, saying national sovereignty now also depended on protecting Pakistan’s digital space.
Addressing a flag-hoisting ceremony on Pakistan’s 79th Independence Day, she said independence in 2026 was no longer limited to physical borders. It also included digital sovereignty.
She said technology was playing an increasing role in national security, governance, the economy, health, education, agriculture and industry.
“Today, we are celebrating the 79th Independence Day of Pakistan. It is an important day in our history, and we are celebrating it with great passion and enthusiasm. Undoubtedly, this is the day of the living nations,” she said.
The minister said the Independence Day celebrations should also be a time for national introspection.
“On the one hand, we are celebrating all these things, but on the other hand, we have to do a little introspection. In the last 79 years, which will be 80 years next year, what have we done, how have we contributed, and moving forward, which is our vision for 2047, God willing, we have to do a little introspection,” she added.
She said independence in 1947 meant creating physical boundaries and a territory that people could call Pakistan.
“But today, in 2026, that independence, that freedom means, on the one hand, our physical boundaries and our nation-state, but on the other hand, increasingly, it is also about digital sovereignty,” she said.
She said the world was undergoing a major shift towards technology, with digital tools becoming important in health, education, finance, agriculture and industry.
She said national security had also become part of the technology landscape.
“Last year, when we fought a war against our enemy, where our border guards, under the leadership of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif, and under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Defense Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Sahib, just like our army protected our physical boundaries through conventional warfare, in the same way, in the same war, technology played its role,” she said.
She said cybersecurity specialists, institutions and the armed forces’ cyber wings had demonstrated Pakistan’s capabilities in the digital domain.
“And in this, whether we are present in NCERT today, institutions like this, or our young boys and girls who are cybersecurity specialists, or the cyber wings of our army, all of them together demonstrated cybersecurity in such a way that those who were said to be our biggest enemies, we defeated them in two days in such a way that they came to their knees and requested for a ceasefire,” she said.
The minister said Pakistan’s improved position in global cybersecurity rankings was the result of sustained efforts and strong leadership.
She said Pakistan had moved into the top tier of countries in the International Telecommunication Union’s cybersecurity rankings.
“These rankings did not happen by coincidence. This is due to very strong, dedicated leadership,” she said.
Shaza Fatima Khawaja said cybersecurity had become more important with the rapid development of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.
She said Pakistan’s cyber threats had increased by around 30 to 35 per cent this year.
She also warned that quantum technology could create further cybersecurity challenges and require more advanced solutions.
“As technology is getting better, its risks and opportunities are also increasing, but its risks and challenges are also increasing,” she said.
The minister said the Digital Nation Pakistan Act provided a framework for digital governance, the digital economy and a digital society.
She said the government was working to transform government institutions, education and financial systems through technology.
She said around 40 federal government departments had become paperless within less than a year.
She said the Prime Minister’s Office had also shifted to paperless operations, while an artificial intelligence-based task management and follow-up system had been introduced.
The minister said the government was implementing the National Cyber Security Policy, while work on a Cyber Security Act was also under way.
She said a 14-member CERT Council was working on cybersecurity, with representatives from the ministries of IT, defence, interior and foreign affairs, telecom companies and sectoral CERTs.
She said the Pakistan Information Security Framework had also been approved by the federal cabinet.
The framework would provide a minimum security standard for public sector organisations. It would cover hardware, software, licences and other information security requirements.
She said the framework would also guide the private sector, while stricter measures would apply to critical data and personally identifiable information.
She described data infrastructure as a strategic national asset.
The minister said the government’s data governance policy would treat data as a public good and a strategic asset that must be protected while allowing public access for innovation.
She stressed that cybersecurity should be built into the core architecture of digital systems rather than added later.
“Cybersecurity has to be a part of our core architectures. This is not an add-on that we do on our information systems,” she said.
She said cybersecurity should cover both digital systems and the physical infrastructure supporting them.
This included telecommunications infrastructure, optical fibre, towers, data centres, chips, laptops and other devices.
“Whether it is hardware security or it is our data and software security, we have to ensure and maintain cybersecurity equally,” she said.
Shaza also called for greater investment in young people and cybersecurity talent.
She said the government conducted cybersecurity hackathons through IGNITE every year and stressed the need to expand such programmes.
“Our core asset is our youth,” she said. “These are our young boys and girls whom we have to encourage and work on their capabilities. So, with that in mind, I would like to say that we should make it a bigger program,” she added.
She expressed hope that the government’s efforts would help protect Pakistan and make it both physically and digitally sovereign.
“We will be able to make that Pakistan today, a Pakistan that is not only physically, but also digitally sovereign, where we build our infrastructure, where we are creators of technology rather than just consumers,” she said.
