Cyber Petroleum meme: where 'social of media' came from and why Pakistan can't stop saying it
An NCCIA officer in Multan called the cyber patrol unit 'Cyber Petroleum', twice. How the clip became this week's top meme, and the serious part behind it.
“Cyber Petroleum” is this week’s biggest Pakistani meme, and it started with a slip of the tongue. In a media interaction in Multan, Dr Rizwan Sabir, the deputy director in charge of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) there, twice called the agency’s Cyber Patrol Unit “Cyber Petroleum” while explaining how it watches what is going on on “social of media” round the clock.
The clip spread across X, Facebook and WhatsApp from Monday, 26 October, and by Tuesday both phrases had become catchphrases.
Where did the clip come from?
Dr Sabir was answering reporters’ questions about the NCCIA’s push against anti-state content online. The agency has set up cyber patrolling and monitoring units across Pakistan, including Multan, under a stated zero-tolerance policy on fake news, online harassment and anti-state propaganda. His point was simple: the unit is watching. The words came out differently.
Journalist Waseem Abbasi was among those who shared the clip on X (embedded below).
What do people mean by “Cyber Petroleum”?
The joke works on two levels. The first is the pure mix-up: a cybercrime unit that sounds like a fuel pump. One widely shared comment joked about not wanting to offend “the Petroleum department”; another sarcastically praised the officer for being “absolutely correct”.
The second is “social of media”, which has turned into shorthand for any official trying to sound tech-savvy. Because the officer repeated the slip, the unedited clip is the meme itself: most of the shares are simply the video, reposted with a laughing caption.
Is there a serious side?
Yes, and it is why the clip hit a nerve. Many replies were not about the pronunciation but about who is monitoring Pakistanis online, and how well they understand the platforms they police. Some users asked how officers are chosen for these posts; others pointed out that a slip on camera is not the same as being bad at the job.
The NCCIA has not commented on the clip. The agency, which took over from the FIA’s cybercrime wing, continues its crackdown: on Wednesday its Lahore zone arrested 42 people in raids on three alleged illegal call centres.
As memes go, this one is gentle. Nobody is laughing at the idea of fighting online crime; they are laughing at a phrase that sounded, for one long second, like a petrol pump with Wi-Fi.
