Govt Appoints Syed Azfar Ali Nasir as Chairman SMPRA for Five Years

The federal government has appointed Syed Azfar Ali Nasir as Chairman of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMPRA) for a period of five years.

According to notification No. 01-RECRUITMENT-SM-0002 issued by the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control on October 30, 2026, and signed by Section Officer (Social Media) Saad Zubair, the appointment has been made under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025.

The notification states:
_”In exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (2) of Section 2D of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, the Federal Government has been pleased to appoint Syed Azfar Ali Nasir as Chairperson, Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMPRA). The appointment shall be for a period of five (05) years in terms of sub-section (3) of Section 2D of the Act ibid.”_

Barrister Syed Azfar Ali Nasir has also served as Provincial Minister for Housing, Urban Development, Public Health Engineering, Auqaaf and Zakat in the caretaker government in Punjab. He has also served as Former Chairman RUDA and CBD Punjab.

*BACKGROUNDER:*

According to sources, SMPRA was first made functional on March 19, 2026, when the federal government appointed lawyer and incumbent Islamabad Advocate General Ayaz Shaukat as the first chairman of the newly established authority.

Along with the first chairman, the federal government had also notified 5 members, namely Sohail Iqbal, Adnan Khan, Muhammad Salman Zafar, Fahad Malik, and Muhammad Saad Ali.

With the fresh notification of Syed Azfar Ali Nasir, he has become the second chairman of the authority within seven months.

SMPRA has been established under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025. The authority will comprise a total of eight members including chairman. According to the law, the remaining two members are to be a journalist and a software engineer.

SMPRA will function as a corporate body with its principal office in Islamabad and with provision to establish regional offices in provincial capitals.

Under the law, the authority is mandated to regulate unlawful content on social media, oversee enlistment and registration of social media platforms, issue guidelines and standards for digital platforms, provide a mechanism for complaint redressal, promote online safety, facilitate research and awareness, and coordinate with relevant stakeholders for capacity building in the digital sector.