Published on, Sept. 20 -- September 20, 2025 1:07 PM

ISLAMABAD - The personal data of nearly 300,000 people who applied for Hajj has been leaked to the dark web, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman revealed on Friday. Major General (R) Hafeez ur Rehman made the disclosure during a Senate IT Committee meeting, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan.

The PTA chief said the data breach was first detected in 2022. He explained that the leaked data included SIM information, which is usually stored by telecom companies. Shockingly, he added that even his own SIM data has been available on the dark web since 2022. He stressed the need for stronger cybersecurity measures to prevent such breaches.

During the briefing, government s...