Islamabad: (PPF) Ayaz Shaukat, chairman of the newly established Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMPRA).Picture via Facebook/ Islamabad Bar Council

On March 19, the Federal Government officially appointed Ayaz Shaukat, a lawyer and the incumbent Islamabad Advocate General, as the chairman of the newly established Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMPRA). This appointment was announced by the Ministry of Interior in a notification.

The SMPRA, formed under the amended Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, will comprise eight members, including five who have been notified — Sohail Iqbal, Adnan Khan, Muhammad Salman Zafar, Fahad Malik, and Muhammad Saad Ali. The remaining members will be a journalist and a software engineer. The chairman and members will be appointed for five years.

The authority will function as a corporate entity.

Ayaz Shaukat is set to resign from his role as advocate general after Eidul Fitr, transitioning to lead SMPRA’s operations. The authority will also establish its principal office in Islamabad, with provision for regional offices.

Under PECA, SMPRA can issue directives to block or remove unlawful or offensive content on social media platforms. It is also tasked with managing licenses, overseeing registration of platforms and partial or full blocking of platforms that fail to comply.

Action on complaints will be taken within 24 hours.