State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, announced on Friday that Pakistan has reached the top tiers of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI). This ranking is a significant boost for the country’s IT industry.
During a press conference in Islamabad, she highlighted that Pakistan has improved its position from 79th in the ITU-2021 to the top-tier 46th in the latest report. She described the improvement as reflecting Pakistan’s advances in legal frameworks, technical capabilities, capacity building, and organizational development.
The 2024 report recognizes countries that have made substantial progress in legal, capacity-building, and cooperative frameworks, particularly in enhancing incident response capabilities. It placed Pakistan in Tier 1, aligning it with nations such as the United States, Japan, and Australia, considered role models in cybersecurity.
She credited this achievement to the collaborative efforts of various departments, including Pakistan Telecommunication and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). She also thanked the provincial governments and stakeholders for strengthening the cybersecurity framework and promoting digital progression in Pakistan.
Furthermore, Shaza thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his critical support and leadership, which she noted as pivotal in advancing Pakistan’s cybersecurity stature globally. She also emphasized the importance of policy continuity across different governments in achieving this milestone.
Additionally, Shaza outlined initiatives by the Ministry of Information Technology, such as training young people in cybersecurity, a field burgeoning with global job opportunities. She revealed that Google has invested in Pakistan and plans to produce Chromebooks locally.
Lastly, she shared plans for Islamabad to become a ‘Model Digital City’. This initiative includes launching a new app to provide residents access to over 150 government services and enhance urban management through features like an e-parking system.
