Atta Tarar Pushes Mandatory AI Content Labelling in Pakistan — and a National Cybersecurity Council

Pakistan’s battle against fake content just got its most serious proposal yet. Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has called for mandatory labelling of artificial intelligence-generated content across the country, warning that citizens can no longer tell what is real on their screens — and that even a single careless click can expose their private lives.

The proposal came during the inaugural ceremony of Cyber Security Awareness Week 2026, organised by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, where Tarar laid out a wide-ranging plan to fight deepfakes, misinformation and online fraud. His message was blunt: a one-week awareness campaign is not enough. Pakistan needs permanent institutions, new laws and a digitally literate generation.

A National Cybersecurity and Social Media Awareness Council

The centrepiece of Tarar’s plan is a proposed National Cybersecurity and Social Media Awareness Council, which would bring together federal ministries, divisions and provincial governments behind one coordinated national strategy against cyber threats.

The minister assured the gathering that the federal government and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting would fully support the initiative. The council, he said, would also make the work of existing bodies easier — including the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which he noted has started functioning as an institution and can support the PTA in tackling cyber-related challenges.

Tarar also announced that Pakistan’s first Digital Communication Department has been established inside the Ministry of Information to strengthen the government’s own digital communication capabilities, and he appreciated the contributions of the PTA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in policy development, regulation and public awareness.

Mandatory AI Labels and Digital Literacy in Classrooms

On AI-generated content, Tarar was direct: labelling must be mandatory so that social media users can clearly distinguish between authentic and AI-created material. He pointed out that among the major social media platforms, only TikTok has so far made AI content labelling compulsory — a gap he clearly wants closed.

The minister paired the labelling proposal with a demand for compulsory digital literacy in the curricula of schools, colleges and universities, with educational content updated regularly to keep pace with fast-moving technology. He highlighted the absence of a uniform digital literacy curriculum in the country, saying children must be taught how to use social media safely and how to protect themselves from online threats.

The plan extends to the state itself. Tarar proposed setting up digital literacy cells in every government institution, with public-sector employees trained on digital technologies and online security. Targeted awareness campaigns for different sections of society — rather than a single one-size-fits-all strategy — would carry the message, with micro-influencers helping reach specific communities. “The right message must reach the right audience through the right format,” he said.

Deepfakes, Privacy and the ‘One Click’ Warning

Behind the policy proposals sits a genuine anxiety about how fast AI fakery is moving. Tarar called for continuous, year-round efforts to tackle misinformation, deepfakes and the misuse of personal data — arguing that a single awareness week cannot keep up with the scale of the threat.

His warning about online privacy was the starkest line of the day: even one click, he said, can expose a citizen’s private life and personal information to unauthorised access. It is the kind of warning that lands differently in a country where viral doctored videos and AI-generated clips have repeatedly set off real-world controversy — and where, as the PTA’s own cyber alert figures show, the volume of online threats keeps climbing.

Whether mandatory AI labelling becomes law or stays a proposal will depend on the ministries and regulators now being asked to carry it forward. But Tarar has put the marker down: in his telling, equipping citizens with awareness and practical solutions to digital challenges is not a side project — it is an important national service. For the minister’s full remarks, see The Destination’s report and his profile.