The role of governments in fighting cybercrime is to create and enforce laws, empower specialized law enforcement agencies, forge international alliances, and foster deep public-private partnerships.

As of September 2, 2025, cybercrime has evolved into a significant threat to national security, economic stability, and public safety. For the government of Pakistan, as with all nations, confronting this borderless and technically complex challenge is a core responsibility. A government’s role is not just to react to incidents, but to create a holistic, strategic framework for a more secure and resilient digital society.

1. Building the Legal Framework

The foundational role of any government is to establish a clear legal framework that defines and criminalizes malicious digital activities. Without laws, there can be no enforcement.

  • Defining the Crimes: Governments enact legislation to make a wide range of activities illegal, from hacking and electronic fraud to cyberstalking and the distribution of malware. In Pakistan, the cornerstone of this effort is the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.
  • Data Protection and Breach Notification: A modern government’s role includes protecting its citizens’ data. A new global wave of data protection laws, like Pakistan’s pending Personal Data Protection Bill, is critical. These laws compel businesses to secure the personal data they hold and require them to report data breaches to the authorities, providing crucial intelligence for fighting cybercrime.

2. Empowering Specialized Law Enforcement

Cybercrime cannot be investigated by traditional means. Governments must invest in creating and empowering specialized law enforcement units with the technical skills and tools to operate in the digital world.

  • Dedicated Cybercrime Units: In Pakistan, the primary agency responsible for this is the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), specifically its National Response Centre for Cyber Crime (NR3C). These units are staffed with experts in digital forensics, malware analysis, and financial crime, responsible for investigating everything from online banking fraud to social media harassment.
  • Capacity Building: A major focus for governments is “capacity building”—the continuous training of police, prosecutors, and judges on the technical and legal complexities of cybercrime. This ensures that digital evidence is collected correctly and is admissible in court.
  • Disrupting Criminal Infrastructure: Beyond just arresting individuals, these units actively work to disrupt the infrastructure of cybercrime, such as taking down botnets or seizing the servers that host illicit content.

3. Forging International Alliances

Cybercrime is a borderless problem. A criminal sitting in one country can use servers in a second country to launch an attack against a victim in a third, like a citizen here in Rawalpindi. Effective action is impossible without international cooperation.

  • International Treaties and Agreements: The most important international treaty is the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, which provides a framework for nations to harmonize their cybercrime laws and cooperate on investigations. Governments also enter into bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) to formally request evidence and assistance from other countries.
  • Information Sharing: Intelligence agencies and law enforcement bodies around the world share information and threat intelligence on the latest malware and the tactics of major criminal groups. Global organizations like INTERPOL play a crucial role in facilitating this cooperation.

4. Fostering Public-Private Partnerships

Governments have recognized that they cannot fight this battle alone. The vast majority of the internet’s infrastructure—from cloud platforms and social media networks to the telecom networks here in Pakistan—is owned and operated by the private sector.

  • Information Sharing: Governments work with the private sector to share threat intelligence. A government agency might receive intelligence about a new threat targeting the banking sector and will confidentially share that information with the banks so they can prepare their defenses.
  • Collaboration on Takedowns: When a tech company identifies a major criminal operation on its platform, they often work directly with law enforcement agencies in multiple countries to provide the technical data needed to dismantle the operation.
  • Public Awareness Campaigns: Governments partner with telecom companies, banks, and media organizations to run public awareness campaigns to educate citizens on how to spot and avoid common online scams.