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Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Plan to ensure country’s cyber security presented
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Defence on Monday proposed an action plan for cyber security in Pakistan, especially after the theft of information by US intelligence agencies.
The committee proposed the plan at a symposium entitled “Defending Pakistan through Cyber Security Strategy” held at Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS). The action plan calls for relevant legislation to preserve, protect and promote Pakistan cyber security, drafting for which has already begun. “We will present bill in the Parliament for Cyber Security”, the chairman committee Syed Mushahid Hussain Syed said while presenting this action plan.
It noted that cyber security threat should be accepted and recognized as new, emerging national security threat by the government, similar to the threats like terrorism and military aggression as well as establishing a National Computer Emergency Response Team (PKCERT). It called for establishing a Cyber-Security Task Force with affiliation with Ministry of Defence, Ministry of IT, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Information and our security organisations plus relevant and leading professionals from the private security so that Pakistan could take steps to combat this new emerging threat and formulate ‘Cyber Security Strategy’ for Pakistan. Under the office of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, an Inter-Services Cyber Command should be established to coordinate cyber security and cyber defence for the Pakistan Armed Forces. Within the framework of SAARC, Pakistan should take the initiative to initiate talks among the 8-member states particularly India to establish acceptable norms of behaviour in cyber security among the SAARC countries so that these countries are not engaged in cyber warfare against each other. If Pakistan and India can have an agreement not to attack nuclear installations, why not an agreement seeking prevention of cyber warfare against each other be reached, Mushahid asked. He said soon after the Eid, the Senate Defence Committee, in cooperation with the Pakistan Information Security Association (PISA), will have a special media workshop to promote awareness among the public and educate opinion leaders on the issue of cyber security.
He said that since last year, the Senate Committee on Defence and Defence Production had identified cyber warfare as a new, non-military security threat to Pakistan given Pakistan’s location and strategic role. “Already in the region, there is an ongoing cyber “war of words” between the United States and China and outright cyber warfare between Iran and the United States/Israel” he said. According to the revelation by Edward Snowden, the American National Security Agency (NSA) was spying on Pakistan through internet and online communication systems with 13.5 billion pieces of email, phone and fax communications intercepted, making Pakistan the second highest country to be watched by the NSA after Iran, he added.
He noted that cyber security threat can affect Pakistan’s national defence, security, intelligence, diplomacy, nuclear and missile programme, economy, energy, education, civil aviation as well as industrial and manufacturing units both in the private and public sector. So cyber security is an issue of paramount importance for Pakistan’s stability and progress.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk
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