ISLAMABAD: The communication system of the Ministry of Foreign Affair has always been under threat due to cyber attacks and, therefore, services of country’s premier intelligence agency ISI have been acquired to oversee it. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Special Secretary Amjad Hussain Sial told Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs that the ministry had a special system for communication with its embassies, consulates and missions abroad. “There is always a risk of attack over the communication channel of the ministry. To make it secure, we have acquired the services of ISI,” he said, and added that the ministry cannot give full control of the system to the ISI and that only the operational control had been handed over to the intelligence agency. The special secretary said the ministry had conducted an audit of its existing cyber security system with the help of intelligence agencies in order to identify room for improvement. Senator Farhatullah Baber expressed reservations over giving the control of communication system of the Foreign Ministry to another government department. He suggested that the ministry must make its own arrangements. Though this arrangement, Baber said, the agency might interfere in the internal affairs of the ministry. Senator Karim Khawaja offered the ministry that he may provide a private firm for establishing a separate communication system. However, the ministry assured the committee that they were comfortable with the system and, therefore, any separate arrangement was not needed.