PPP senior leader Mian Raza Rabbani on Monday sharply denounced the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency’s (NCCIA) creation to combat cybercrimes, expressing concern that the new investigative body will infringe upon citizens’ personal freedoms.
The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing was shut down last week as the NCCIA was formed by the federal government to look into electronic crimes.
The government made the decision to abolish the Financial Crimes Advisory Agency (FIA) in an official notification released by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. The notification stated that the decision was made by the government in accordance with the authority granted by sections 51 and 29 of the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act, 2016.
“The NCCIA, with its broad and unclear mandate, will probably lead to increased surveillance and data collection, encroaching upon personal liberties of the citizen,” PPP leader Rabbani said in a statement.
“Like a thunderbolt, this is condemned—the government created the NCCIA,” he declared.
The former head of the Senate stated that when the NCCIA was established, privacy and digital rights were still major concerns for the government to deal with.
The seasoned politician voiced worries about the government’s decision, saying, “The body has been created without taking into confidence digital rights groups, the IT sector, or even the public.”
