ISLAMABAD — Nearly 100 million Pakistanis are now using social media platforms, and more than 1.5 billion videos are watched on TikTok in Pakistan every single day, the country’s top telecom regulator has revealed, as he pressed for a secure and reliable digital ecosystem to carry Pakistan’s digital future.
Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Major General (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman, shared the figures while addressing the concluding session of the closing ceremony of Cyber Security Awareness Week 2026, organised by the PTA in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He said building a safe, secure and dependable digital environment was essential for the country’s digital development.
The chairman outlined the regulator’s initiatives to counter cyber threats, digital fraud and misinformation, stressing the need for public awareness and closer coordination between government agencies.
100 million Pakistanis on social media; 1.5 billion TikTok videos watched daily
Almost 100 million Pakistanis are using social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and TikTok, the PTA chairman said, describing the figure as evidence of the country’s deepening digital connectivity.
The engagement numbers are striking. More than 1,500 million videos — 1.5 billion — are viewed on TikTok in Pakistan every day, he said, underlining how central short video has become to the nation’s online life.
Digital technology has transformed people’s daily routines, the chairman observed, with mobile phones and social media becoming an integral part of everyday life for millions of Pakistanis.
5G and artificial intelligence: Pakistan’s plan to keep pace
Pakistan is embracing new technologies and working to keep pace with the global community, the chairman said, adding that the government has taken initiatives in areas such as 5G and artificial intelligence so the country keeps up with developed nations.
Emerging technologies offered significant opportunities, particularly for young people, who represented the country’s future, he said — a pointed remark in one of the youngest countries in the world, where the digital economy is increasingly seen as the engine of jobs and growth.
He tied the technology push to the government’s wider vision of a cashless economy and a digital society, saying secure digital systems were essential for transparent and efficient digital governance and economic activity.
A continuous national effort, not a one-week campaign
Cybersecurity awareness must not remain limited to an annual event, the chairman stressed — it should become a continuous national effort. “Cybersecurity is an integral part of the country’s overall security ecosystem,” he said, adding that cyberattacks were no longer occasional incidents but a continuous threat.
He stressed the need to extend cybersecurity awareness to every corner of the country and to educate citizens about the vulnerabilities that come with digital connectivity. The government could formulate policies and regulators could enforce regulations, he said, but public awareness and confidence were equally important for keeping digital systems secure. “People must have confidence that our systems are secure,” he said.
The chairman also acknowledged the contributions of telecom operators and industry partners, saying they had played an important role in strengthening the security of the telecom sector — adding that cybersecurity was not about winning awards or receiving certificates, but about the collective responsibility of ensuring a safe and secure future for the people of Pakistan. He thanked the PTA team, the operators and industry partners for their efforts.
Background: a week under the “safe cyberspace” banner
The awareness campaign was held under the theme “Building a Safe, Secure and Resilient Cyberspace”, according to APP reporting on the event. The inaugural ceremony drew the PTA chairman, UNDP Resident Representative Dr Samuel Rizk, UNDP representative Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad and PEMRA Chairperson Ambreen Jan, reflecting how cybersecurity now cuts across regulators, development partners and the media watchdog.
At the inaugural ceremony earlier in the week, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar proposed setting up a National Cyber Security and Social Media Awareness Council to coordinate the country’s cyber response, as reported by UrduPro.
At the same closing ceremony, the PTA chairman had also warned that Pakistan was a “prime target” for cyberattacks, with citizens facing fake OTP messages and thousands of fake videos circulating daily, as UrduPro reported earlier.
The week’s message was clear: with nearly 100 million Pakistanis on social media and billions of videos flowing across its networks every day, the country’s digital future will be decided as much by public awareness as by technology.
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