The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has set up a dedicated cryptocurrency investigation unit under its newly operational National Command and Control Center (NC3), marking Pakistan’s most concrete step yet toward policing the criminal use of digital assets in money laundering, terrorism financing, and other financial crimes.
Dr. Muhammad Athar Waheed, Director of the FIA’s Counter Terrorism Wing, said the unit will focus squarely on investigating the criminal misuse of cryptocurrencies, while the newly established Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) will handle the regulatory side of digital assets — drawing a clear line between enforcement and oversight.
Dr. Waheed went a step further, urging the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) to establish parallel units of their own to tackle the use of cryptocurrencies in cybercrime and drug trafficking. He also revealed that new rules are in the pipeline to ensure investigations are wrapped up within fixed timelines.
The NC3 itself is designed as a centralized nerve centre for intelligence sharing, interagency coordination, and nationwide operational support. It houses units covering immigration monitoring, integrated border management, anti-money laundering investigations, virtual currency investigations, risk analysis, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, cyber patrolling, dark web investigations, and Interpol coordination. The centre also features a case management system, a 24-hour public helpline, and complaint management facilities aimed at improving public service delivery.
In a broader show of institutional muscle, the FIA has also raised Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams for high-risk operations, expanded its vehicle fleet, and created the post of Director International Coordination to deepen cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies. Officials said recruitment of roughly 1,300 personnel is currently underway, with additional hiring planned to further bolster the agency’s operational capacity.
On the human trafficking front, FIA officials reported that more than 300 FIRs have been registered against trafficking networks over the past two years, resulting in the arrest of 258 agents. The agency claimed its crackdown has dismantled several trafficking gangs and contributed to a decline in deadly migrant boat tragedies.
