Senate panel grills NCCIA over delay in cybercrime complaints

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• Summons agency’s chief for briefing on online portal, enforcement timelines • Senators seek briefing on revised mechanism for registration of blasphemy FIRs ISLAMABAD: The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights expressed concern over the delay in processing of complaints by the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and the technical issues with its online complaint portal. In its meeting chaired by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, the body reviewed the NCCIA performance, delays in cybercrime complaint redressal, the procedure being followed in blasphemy-related cases and progress in the murder case of Lahore resident Ahmed Javed. Senator Quratulain Marri informed the meeting that a sustained online campaign had been launched against her and her family on social media, and that no effective action had been taken despite the filing of a formal complaint through legal counsel. The NCCIA officials told the committee that technical and operational constraints had affected the online complaint system. They said written complaints could also be submitted through legal representatives for immediate processing while remedial work on the portal was underway. The committee was also informed that action regarding blocking or restricting objectionable online content was generally completed within 15 days. Senator Zehri expressed dissatisfaction over the delay, questioning that whether complainant should be left helpless due to technical excuses. Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan, too, echoed the same sentiments. In view of these concerns, the committee decided to summon the NCCIA director general in its July 17 meeting for a briefing on status of the online complaint portal, delays in complaint processing, enforcement timelines, response protocols, and measures being taken to improve the performance. Blasphemy cases The committee also received a briefing from the Punjab home secretary on blasphemy cases. The meeting was apprised that a special committee constituted to examine such cases had met twice. The secretary said an inter-agency coordination mechanism had also been established to strengthen prosecution, improve coordination and streamline legal proceedings. The committee was told that online blasphemy-related content was being monitored through a dedicated monitoring centre and actionable reports were forwarded to the PTA for action. Senator Zehri sought a detailed briefing on the revised mechanism for registration of FIRs in blasphemy cases. Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2026

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