Pakistan launches cyber probe into online 'anti-state campaign'

Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has launched a formal inquiry into what it says is a coordinated online propaganda campaign that targeted the state during a recent escalation with neighboring India.

The agency said Thursday that through detailed cyber surveillance, it identified around 500 social media accounts allegedly involved in spreading anti-state narratives during a time of heightened national security concerns.

Authorities suspect the campaign was a synchronized disinformation effort aimed at destabilizing the state through online platforms.

In response, specialized teams within the NCCIA Cybercrime Wing are now analyzing the activity of these flagged accounts. Officials say the analysis includes digital forensics and behavioral pattern tracking.

The NCCIA is also working with Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to identify the people or groups behind the accounts using facial recognition and other digital verification methods.

“Upon completion of the verification process, appropriate legal actions will be pursued under existing cyber laws,” the agency said in a statement.

The cybercrime agency emphasized its commitment to protecting Pakistan’s digital integrity, especially during moments of national tension.

It warned that any attempt to undermine the state using online tools would face “decisive legal consequences.”

The inquiry comes amid renewed geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, both of which have fought multiple wars since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Online disinformation and cyber warfare have increasingly become tools in modern statecraft and conflict.

The NCCIA did not disclose the exact content of the flagged material or whether any foreign actors were suspected of involvement. However, it said investigations are ongoing, and findings will be shared with relevant authorities.

Previously, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down five Indian fighter jets in a swift retaliatory strike on Tuesday after Indian forces launched missile attacks on multiple Pakistani cities, killing at least 31 civilians.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s military said it intercepted and destroyed 25 drones launched from India, but confirmed that one drone managed to strike a military installation in the northeastern city of Lahore.