Senate body condemns Indian cyber attack

ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Committee on Interior Thursday strongly condemned the cyberattack by Indian spy network and advised the government to write to Secretary General Interpol against Indian cyber terrorism against various sovereign states and to take action against India for cyber-terrorism.

Senate’s Committee on Interior Chairman Abdul Rehman Malik said as policy making body and business group, the FATF has no right to put any country in grey list or black list. He urged the government to question the legitimacy of FATF in the next meeting on the issue.

The Senate’s Committee on Interior hold its meeting with the chair of its Chairman Senator Abdul Rehman Malik here Thursday.

Rehman Malik said that India is involved in cyber-crimes worldwide and stealing sensitive national data of various countries for different nefarious activities. He said that Indian hackers steal data of different countries and sell it to rival countries and the data of individuals for blackmailing.

He informed that he had raised this matter in committee meetings back in 2018 on 20 July and 24th July and had directed Ministry of Interior to take extra-ordinary measures to block such attacks.

He appreciated the Pakistan intelligence agencies to have identified this major cyberattack by Indian intelligence agencies involving a range of cybercrimes.

The issue of placing Pakistan in FATF’s grey list was also discussed in the committee. Rehman Malik expressed that FATF is playing a discriminatory role as it is victimising Pakistan while favouring India.

He informed the committee that he as chairman of this committee had written a letter to FATF President to remove Pakistan’s name from its grey list and proceed against Indian Prime Minister Modi for his role in money laundering and terror financing adding but discriminatory treatment being meted out to Pakistan.

The reply of the FATF to Senator Rehman Malik was placed before the members wherein the President of FATF states “FATF is a ‘policy making body that has not the investigative and prosecutorial functions”.

He informed the committee that he has drafted a petition for ICJ against FATF discriminatory role and shall be filed soon along with a delegation.