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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has registered over 1,214 cases under a cybercrime law this year, out of which 10 have been filed against journalists, the director-general of a national cybercrime agency said on Wednesday, amid fears by the opposition that the law would be used to punish critics.

Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) was originally enacted in 2016, but an amendment bill passed in January 2025 expanded its scope by broadening the definition of “fake news” and criminalizing defamation against government officials.

The law also established a new social media regulatory authority to oversee digital content and a cybercrime agency with the power to prosecute violations.

“So far, a total of 1,214 cases have been registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) this year, out of which 10 have been filed against journalists,” DG NCCIA Waqar-ud-Din Syed told the Senate Standing Committee on Information.

The NCCIA is an independent institution that has the authority to investigate and act against all cyber-related offenses across the country.

The committee was informed that out of a total 1,214 cases, 611 were registered by the NCCIA for financial fraud online, 320 for harassment through cyberspace, 174 for promoting religious hate speech, 55 for defamation and 19 for the possession of illegal SIMs. Seven of these cases were registered for child pornography.

Cases against journalists Sabir Shakir, former anchor Moeed Hassan Pirzada, and investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani, have been registered for allegedly spreading hate speech against state institutions. All three regularly criticize the incumbent government and Pakistan’s powerful military.

A case against journalist Farhan Gohar Malik has been registered on charges of spreading propaganda against state institutions and disseminating fake news on social media. Another journalist, Khalid Jameel, was booked under the PECA law for allegedly using hate speech against state institutions. However, he was later cleared of the charges by a local court.

Former army officer and YouTuber Aadil Raja, and former anchor Imran Riaz Khan were booked under PECA law for their alleged involvement in “anti-state activities.” Journalist Shahzad Rafique was booked for committing alleged defamation while reporter Muhammad Waheed was booked under the controversial law on allegations of using hate speech against state institutions.

Many of these journalists are accused by the government of being biased in favor of former prime minister Imran Khan. Most of these journalists and vloggers, who have fled the country, deny the accusations.

Syed Ali Zafar, who heads the senate standing committee, expressed fears the law could be misused against the government’s critics. Zafar is a prominent Pakistani lawyer and is a member of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party. The PTI accuses the government and military of harassing its supporters. Both strongly deny the charges.

“The opposition has no problem if the law is used against legitimate cybercrimes like hate speech, pornography or crimes against the state,” Zafar noted during the briefing.

He said the PECA law should not be used against anyone who criticizes the government during the ongoing floods crisis.

Meanwhile, Waheed told Arab News that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had misrepresented his posts on social media platform X, saying he was only quoting Baloch politician Akhtar Mengal’s statements.

“I was wrongly charged for an X post that was actually a quote of a Baloch leader,” he said.

Pakistani journalists have long complained of increasing state pressure on traditional and digital media in Pakistan, which is ranked 152nd out of 180 countries on the press freedom index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a media watchdog that promotes and defends press freedom.

Pakistani authorities banned social media platform X in the recent past. Pakistani officials, meanwhile, have defended the PECA law, saying it protects people’s integrity and data on social media platforms.