In Islamabad the Institute of Regional Studies and the Pakistan National Cyber Emergency Response Team signed a memorandum of understanding today to formalize institutional cooperation in cybersecurity. The signing ceremony was attended by senior officials from both organisations, including Director General PKCERT Mr. Haider Abbas and IRS President Ambassador Jauhar Saleem.
Ambassador Jauhar Saleem said cybersecurity has become a critical pillar of national security and affects state institutions, economic stability, governance and societal resilience. He emphasised the importance of closer cooperation between policy-focused research institutions and technical organisations to respond effectively to shifting cyber threats, and reaffirmed IRS’s commitment to advancing research, dialogue and institutional partnerships in this area.
Mr. Haider Abbas stressed that there can be no national security without cybersecurity and warned that modern intelligence and threat landscapes are increasingly sophisticated. He highlighted emerging threats such as cryptojacking, explaining that these attacks can operate even when devices appear inactive by silently exploiting system resources. Mr. Abbas noted that PKCERT is actively addressing a wide range of evolving threats through technical coordination and national-level incident response.
The cybersecurity partnership will focus on meaningful research initiatives while creating practical opportunities for university students to gain exposure to real-world cyber challenges and contribute to strengthening Pakistan’s cyber ecosystem. Under the MoU both institutions have agreed to cooperate on joint research, expert exchanges, training and capacity-building initiatives, internships and cybersecurity awareness programmes.
Both organisations reaffirmed their commitment to ensure the collaboration remains productive and impactful, with the aim of generating actionable research, strengthening institutional capacity and contributing to Pakistan’s long-term cyber resilience and a secure digital future.
