The federal government has appointed Barrister Syed Azfar Ali Nasir chairman of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMPRA) for a five-year term. An official notification issued on October 30 states that the appointment was made under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025.
Who Syed Azfar Ali Nasir is
Syed Azfar Ali Nasir, a barrister, previously served as a minister in Punjab’s caretaker government led by Mohsin Naqvi in 2023. In that role he held portfolios covering Auqaf, Religious Affairs, Zakat, and Ushr, and also carried responsibilities linked to Housing and Urban Development. During the caretaker period he was involved in development work, including projects tied to urban infrastructure.
What SMPRA does
SMPRA—the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority—is the body tasked with regulating social media platforms in Pakistan. As Syed Azfar Ali Nasir chairman SMPRA leadership will sit over work that includes issuing compliance directions, handling complaints, and taking action against platforms that break applicable laws. The move fits into Pakistan’s wider rollout of amended cybercrime rules, which created a formal regulatory framework for online platforms.
What the appointment rests on
The legal basis named in the October 30 notification is the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025—an update to the country’s cybercrime law (often shortened to PECA) that set out how social media platforms are to be supervised. The five-year term for the new SMPRA chair gives the authority a fixed leadership window as that framework is put into practice.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Federal hukumat ne Barrister Syed Azfar Ali Nasir ko SMPRA ka chairman bana diya hai, paanch saal ke liye. Yeh social media platforms ko qanoon ke mutabiq regulate karne wali authority hai. Notification 30 October ko jari hui, PECA 2025 ke under. Aam users ke liye matlab yeh hai ke complaints aur platform rules ab is nai leadership ke daur mein chalenge.
