ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Senator Mohsin Naqvi presented in the National Assembly (NA) details of cases registered under the amended Peca (Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025) regarding the intentional dissemination of false information through digital platforms, stating that 187 cases have been registered for spreading harmful falsehoods.
In a written reply to a question by Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto, the minister informed the National Assembly that out of the 187 cases, 180 suspects are male, 21 are female, and one is a minor.
He said that in response to the growing threat of digital misinformation, the government has enacted Section 26A under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025. The provision criminalises the intentional dissemination of false or fake information through digital platforms when the perpetrator knows, or has reason to believe, that the information is false and likely to incite fear, panic, or social unrest.
He added that the primary objective of the law is to safeguard public order and national security from deliberate digital disruption. Current enforcement data under Section 26A reflects a targeted approach against those spreading harmful misinformation.
In its written reply, the interior ministry stated that the government remains committed to fundamental right to freedom of speech as guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
To ensure a balance between regulation and fundamental rights, the ministry noted that Section 26A is narrowly tailored to address only intentional and malicious acts that cause tangible harm. It clarified that the law does not apply to bona fide expressions of opinion, criticism, or journalistic activities carried out in good faith.
The ministry further stated that penalties are imposed only when misinformation is likely to result in public disorder or panic. It stated that strict procedural safeguards and due process are in place to prevent arbitrary interference or suppression of legitimate speech. It added that all cases undergo thorough inquiry and investigation by authorised officials, with a high evidential threshold required to establish both intent and prior knowledge of falsehood. Each case remains subject to judicial review to ensure fair trial standards and protection of civil liberties.
The government’s strategy, it said, aims to curb the rapid spread of misinformation while upholding constitutional protections for free expression through judicial and procedural safeguards. In a separate written reply to a question by Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, the minister informed the National Assembly that Rs76.40 million has been spent on beautification projects in Islamabad over the past three years.
Providing details of the projects, he said Rs2.593 million was spent on a horticulture plan for the parade venue and allied areas for the Pakistan Day Parade 2023; Rs15.849 million on beautification of Parade Ground for the 2024 event; Rs5.281 million on horticulture rehabilitation and upgradation in various sectors including F-6, F-7, and E-7, as well as Parliament House and the Cabinet Block in 2023. He added that Rs27.160 million was spent on beautification and landscaping along the VVIP route during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in 2024; Rs10.443 million on soft landscaping and plantation at National Park Road in 2024; Rs7.290 million on beautification of the parade venue for Pakistan Day Parade on March 23, 2025 at Aiwan-e-Sadr; and Rs7.434 million on a horticulture plan for Independence Day celebrations and Marka-e-Haq at the Pakistan Sports Complex in 2024.
