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 bid to strengthen data security and protect sensitive government information.
An official circular has been issued in this regard, referring to an earlier directive of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MoITT).
The notification requests all ministries to immediately stop using 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 the practice posed a “serious threat” to national security, data privacy and information integrity.
The letter further notes 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 – especially formal documents, reports and inter-ministerial communications – must be carried out exclusively through government-registered email addresses. All administrative secretaries and heads of departments have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the new instructions and immediately disseminate the directive to their subordinate offices.
The government also warned that any security breaches resulting from communication through unauthorized or private email platforms will be the responsibility of the officer or institution concerned.
