Recent incidents continue to demonstrate the scale and sophistication of threats facing individuals

More recently, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) announced arrests linked to the alleged unlawful acquisition and sale of call records, SIM details, family registration information and location data. In addition, cybersecurity researchers have recently identified Pakistan among the countries affected by sophisticated SIM card-related cyber scams, highlighting the growing risks associated with the misuse of personal data and digital identities.

A modern PDPL should establish lawful grounds for processing, security obligations, breach notification requirements, accountability for controllers and processors, and meaningful rights and remedies for individuals. Cybercrime laws and sectoral regulations remain important, but they serve a different purpose.

A dedicated data protection law is preventive, it requires organisations to collect only necessary data, process it for legitimate purposes, retain it only as long as necessary, implement appropriate safeguards and demonstrate ongoing compliance. The second reason is commercial.

Without a dedicated legal framework, Pakistani software houses, BPO providers, fintech companies, cloud service providers and AI developers may continue to face additional contractual hurdles, or even exclusion, from projects involving transfer of personal data to Pakistan. The proposed law is equally important for the effective functioning of the newly established Pakistan Digital Authority.

As Pakistan expands digital identity, e-governance, digital payments and AI-enabled public services, public confidence will depend upon the knowledge that personal information is collected lawfully, protected against misuse and subject to independent oversight. The European Union, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China, India (and many more) have already enacted comprehensive personal data protection laws.

While their legal models differ as regards respective legal system, they have collectively demonstrated that modern data privacy legislation can strengthen consumer confidence, facilitate responsible innovation and enhance participation in global digital economy. Pakistan is not starting from scratch.

It is simultaneously a constitutional safeguard, a foundation for trusted digital government and a strategic economic reform capable of supporting technology exports, facilitating international data transfers and, over time, positioning Pakistan as a jurisdiction capable of meeting internationally recognised standards of adequate protection.