ISLAMABAD:
The federal government has imposed a blanket ban on the use of private and personal email accounts for official correspondence across all public sector institutions, including the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), in a move aimed at strengthening data security and protecting sensitive state information.
A formal circular has been issued in this regard, referring to an earlier directive by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MoITT).
The notification directs all government departments to immediately suspend the use of unofficial email services for any form of official communication.
According to the MoITT letter cited in the circular, several government officials and institutions were still using private email platforms such as Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail to exchange official documents.
The ministry warned that this practice posed a “serious threat” to national security, data confidentiality and information integrity.
The letter further noted that the National Telecommunications and Information Technology Security Board (NTISB) has repeatedly warned that private email servers are not part of the government’s secure digital infrastructure and remain highly vulnerable to cyberattacks, data leaks, and unauthorized access.
The circular clearly states that all official correspondence (particularly formal documents, reports and inter-departmental communications) should be carried out exclusively through registered government email addresses. All administrative secretaries and department heads have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the new instructions and immediately disseminate them to their subordinate offices.
The government has also warned that any security breach resulting from communication through private or unauthorized email platforms will be the responsibility of the official or institution concerned.
