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By Tanveer Ahmed :
Pakistan’s premier cybercrime-fighting agency is struggling to cope with a massive backlog of nearly 140,000 complaints, primarily due to a severe shortage of technical staff and investigators, officials have confirmed.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which operates under the Ministry of Interior, has formally requested the creation of over 800 new posts to address what sources describe as critical gaps in manpower and expertise.
According to official sources, the agency is overwhelmed by the rising tide of cybercrime cases, with the existing workforce under immense pressure. The lack of trained investigators and technical experts is cited as the primary cause for the growing delays in resolving complaints.
The NCCIA has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Interior seeking approval for new positions ranging from Grade 1 to Grade 18. However, the plan remains stalled as it requires final clearance from the Ministry of Finance before any recruitment process can commence.
Previous efforts to bolster the agency’s capabilities have proven insufficient. Under its initial two expansion phases, only 162 posts were created—a number that sources say is grossly inadequate to handle the rapidly increasing volume of cybercrime cases across the country. Furthermore, staff hired under Phase Two are working on contracts set to expire in June 2026, adding to the uncertainty.
The agency’s operational capacity has taken a further hit following the expiry of contracts for employees recruited under Phase Three in February of this year. The Ministry of Interior decided against extending these contracts amid allegations of corruption, a move that has significantly reduced the agency’s workforce.
That decision has now landed in the courts. Affected employees have challenged the non-extension of their contracts and have approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan for relief, adding another layer of complexity to the agency’s strained operational landscape.
The NCCIA’s formal request to create new posts is now pending financial approval, as the agency seeks to build a workforce capable of tackling the escalating challenge of cybercrime in the digital age.
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