Software industry body urges cybercrime agency to follow legal procedures, protect employees and avoid disrupting legitimate businesses amid scam centre crackdown.
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA) has expressed serious concern over increasing raids by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on legitimate software houses and IT-enabled services companies during its crackdown on scam centres.
The association has urged the NCCIA to distinguish genuine IT businesses from fraudulent operations, warning that indiscriminate enforcement could undermine Pakistan’s technology exports, foreign investment and international business reputation.
P@SHA said it supports lawful, evidence-based investigations against scam networks that defraud people in Pakistan and abroad. However, it stressed that enforcement activities must follow clearly defined legal procedures, transparency, due process and proportionality.
According to the association, several member companies have reported raids in which NCCIA teams allegedly entered offices without presenting warrants, detained and questioned employees for hours, and confiscated laptops, servers and mobile phones without establishing wrongdoing.
P@SHA warned that such actions could interrupt client services, expose confidential foreign client information and create uncertainty among employees and investors.
The association highlighted the sector’s economic contribution, stating that Pakistan’s IT exports reached a record $4.6 billion in FY2025-26, compared with $3.8 billion in the preceding year. The government aims to increase exports to $10 billion by FY2029 under Uraan Pakistan, with a broader national target of $15 billion.
P@SHA Chairman Dr Shoab Ahmed Khan said international clients could quickly shift contracts to competing markets, including India, the Philippines and Eastern Europe, if Pakistani companies faced disruptive raids and equipment seizures.
He emphasised that the industry’s business model depends heavily on international trust.
P@SHA has proposed several safeguards, including court warrants for searches, verification of registered companies through the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), and on-site forensic copying of evidence wherever possible.
It also called for the return of equipment unrelated to an offence within seven days, proper seizure documentation, protection of foreign client data and respectful treatment of employees.
The association further proposed a standing committee involving the NCCIA, Ministry of IT and Telecom, PSEB and P@SHA to review complaints and establish procedures for investigations involving registered IT companies.
P@SHA has requested an urgent joint meeting with the IT minister, interior ministry and NCCIA director general to discuss reported incidents and develop safeguards.
Dr Shoab Ahmed Khan reiterated the association’s willingness to cooperate with authorities to eliminate fraudulent networks while protecting legitimate businesses and Pakistan’s growing technology industry.