The federal cabinet on Monday granted authority to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency to intercept and trace calls and messages “in the interest of national security.”
Approved through a circular, the measure allows any designated officer of the ISI—no less than grade-18—to trace calls through any telecommunication system under Section 54 of the Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act 1996. The relevant section of the Telecommunication Act allows the federal government to authorize any person or persons to intercept calls and messages or trace calls through any telecommunication system in the interest of national security. It also grants the government preference and priority in the telecommunication system over any licensee for the defense or security of the country against any foreign aggression.
The new initiative follows an order issued by the Islamabad High Court earlier this year in which Justice Babar Sattar had barred telecommunication companies from recording any calls for surveillance. The court had also declared any action of phone tapping without a legal mechanism as illegal.
Critics have noted the authority granted to the ISI coincides with government efforts to enforce stricter curbs on social media amidst an ongoing ban on X. In May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a draft to amend the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, aiming to establish a Digital Rights Protection Authority in place of the FIA Cybercrime Circle.
Reportedly, the government is also working to implement a national firewall that would filter content on social media, blocking access to “undesirable” content. The firewall, per reports, would also identify the location of users spreading propaganda or fake news, allowing for their speedy identification and apprehension. Separately, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has sought a regulatory framework for all social media platforms, requiring them to register locally for 15 years. Any platform that does not register would be deemed illegal in Pakistan.