The federal government has imposed a blanket ban on the use of personal email accounts for all official correspondence across public sector institutions, including the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), citing growing concerns over data security and cyber risks.
A formal circular issued to government departments refers to an earlier directive from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), instructing officials to immediately discontinue the use of private email services such as Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail for official communication.
According to the MoITT, the continued use of personal email accounts poses a serious threat to national security, data confidentiality and the integrity of official information. The National Telecommunication and Information Technology Security Board (NTISB) has repeatedly warned that private email servers fall outside the government’s secure digital infrastructure and remain vulnerable to cyberattacks, data leaks and unauthorised access.
Under the new directive, all official emails, documents, reports and inter-departmental correspondence must be sent exclusively through registered government email addresses. Administrative secretaries and heads of departments have been instructed to ensure strict compliance and promptly relay the orders to all subordinate offices.
The government has also warned that any security breach arising from the use of unauthorised or private email accounts will be the direct responsibility of the concerned officer or institution, signalling tougher accountability as Pakistan seeks to strengthen its digital governance framework.
