Cyber Harassment in Pakistan
“Cyber harassment” is a common description of abusive online campaigns. PECA’s closer statutory labels include offences against the dignity of a natural person (section 20) and cyber stalking (section 24). Not every rude comment meets those elements.
Reading the sections carefully
Section 20 focuses on intentionally and publicly exhibiting, displaying, or transmitting information through an information system that the person knows to be false and that harms dignity or reputation — read the full text for exact elements and exceptions. Section 24 defines cyber stalking with intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass using information systems or the Internet.
Where sexual modesty or image-based abuse is involved, section 21 may be relevant. Defamation-style online speech is fact-sensitive; see the dedicated online-defamation note page.
Applicable PECA provisions
Links open LawHub’s National corpus text for PECA 2016. Read the full section before relying on a short label.
Evidence checklist
- URLs and screenshots of posts/messages with timestamps
- Witness accounts if campaigns targeted your workplace or family
- Prior threats connecting to later publications
Practical next steps
- Preserve evidence before reporting accounts for takedown.
- Consider safety planning if threats are immediate — contact local police for imminent physical danger.
- File an official cybercrime complaint where PECA elements appear met.
Related cybercrime topics
Find a cyber crime lawyer
Directory results only include advocates who self-reported Cyber Crime & Online Fraud (or the broader Cyber / Technology Law tag). LawHub never infers specialization from names, bios, or cities.
FAQ
- Can LawHub confirm my posts are criminal?
- No. Only investigators and courts apply PECA elements to specific facts. LawHub provides general information and links to the statutory text.
Sources & provenance
- The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Pakistan Code consolidation) — Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of Pakistan (Pakistan Code). National corpus consolidation_date 2025-02-07; source_id pakistancode-peca-2016.
- Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act No. II of 2025) — Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) / Senate Secretariat gazette publication. Presidential assent and Gazette Extra. publication 29 January 2025; [94(2025)/Ex. Gaz.].
- NCCIA online complaint portal — National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (complaint.nccia.gov.pk). Host complaint.nccia.gov.pk resolves on the public DNS (Cloudflare). Bot fetches may receive HTTP 403; users should open the official domain in a browser and follow current on-site instructions.