ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Saturday announced it was postponing a public rally in Islamabad after the district administration revoked permission for it.
The PTI was scheduled to hold a public gathering on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital for the release of its jailed leader and had secured a permission for it from the district administration on the directives of the Islamabad High Court.
However, hours after the party began preparations for the rally at the designated venue, the Islamabad administration on Friday announced revocation of permission, citing security situation, the start of Muharram and reports of law enforcement agencies.
“PTI jalsa (rally) which was to be held today in Islamabad is postponed till a further date is announced,” Khan’s party said in a statement.
The PTI has moved the Islamabad High Court to initiate contempt proceedings against the Islamabad district administration and police for violating the court orders for a permission to hold the rally.
“All the respondents have started creating hindrance in holding jalsa having connivance with each other from the start of issuance of NoC [no-objection certificate],” the party said in its petition.
It said the reasons cited for the cancelation of the NOC were “malafide,” “based on ulterior motives,” a result of “political victimization” and a “clear contempt” of the court orders. But the petition could not be heard immediately due to unavailability of the IHC chief justice.
Meanwhile, the party convened a meeting of its political committee to discuss the matter and devise a strategy to deal with it, later announcing at a press conference the rally had been postponed.
“We have unanimously decided, as we have moved the court and we got the NOC from the court, that’s why for the time being, today’s public rally that was scheduled to take place at 6pm under the auspices of Tahaffuz-e-Aain-e-Pakistan, we are postponing that rally,” PTI Chairman Gohar Khan said.
The PTI, which aims to mobilize public for the release of its leader, has been struggling to hold rallies across the country since August last year, when Khan was arrested on graft charges.
The party says it has been facing a crackdown and mass arrest of its members for standing by Khan. Pakistani authorities deny the allegations.
Ex-PM Khan’s party postpones public rally in Islamabad after authorities revoke permission
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Ex-PM Khan’s party postpones public rally in Islamabad after authorities revoke permission
- The party was scheduled to hold a public rally on the outskirts of Islamabad to press for the release of Khan who is in jail since August
- It has filed a petition in Islamabad High Court seeking contempt proceedings against the Islamabad administration for revoking permission
Government says Pakistan preparing Cyber Security Act as digital expansion raises risks
- The proposed legislation will create Cyber Security Authority to oversee the country's cyber defenses
- IT minister warns misuse of genetic and digital data could enable targeted cyber and biological threats
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is preparing a Cyber Security Act and a dedicated regulatory authority to strengthen defenses against rising digital threats as the country rapidly digitizes government services and economic systems, IT Minister Shaza Fatima said while addressing a ceremony in the federal capital on Wednesday.
The planned legislation is part of Islamabad’s broader “Digital Nation Pakistan” initiative, which aims to expand e-governance, a cashless economy and online public services while safeguarding national cyber infrastructure.
“The more we move toward digitization, with the kind of opportunities that are opening up for us, it is also bringing an equal, or even greater, set of challenges,” the minister said. “This does not mean that we stop digitization. It means that we must make our cybersecurity systems robust.”
She said Pakistan had already activated its National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and provincial CERTs to detect and respond to cyber incidents, while a multi-agency digital monitoring framework known as the National Threat Intelligence System (NTIS) operates around the clock.
“We have a Cyber Security Act coming up, under which a Cyber Security Authority will be established.”
The minister said cybersecurity was not a “generic” concept and required multiple technical specializations as well as comprehensive monitoring and regulation. She warned that the rapid expansion of data-driven technologies was creating new risks even as it opened opportunities in areas such as health and biotechnology.
Referring to advances in genomics and precision medicine, she said the same technologies that help treat diseases could also pose security risks if sensitive biological data were misused. She warned that access to large-scale genetic data could potentially allow hostile actors to develop targeted viruses or other biological threats against populations.
The minister also highlighted Pakistan’s cyber defense capabilities, saying government and military systems remained secure during last year's war with India despite sustained cyber warfare attempts.
She said multiple institutions, including the IT ministry, the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC), national cybersecurity teams and the armed forces’ cyber command structures, worked together to defend critical systems.
“Despite that massive war ... we did not face a single communication breakdown and we did not allow any penetration into our government systems,” she said, adding that the experience demonstrated the need to further strengthen cybersecurity coordination across institutions.
