Pakistan Cybercrime Agency Widens Crackdown on 'Anti-State' Posts

Overview

• Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency said it arrested 13 people in Punjab for alleged “anti-state” social media activity that targeted the army and the PML-N government.
• Speaking to The Express Tribune, NCCIA official Ali Waseem said investigators had identified at least 17 suspects and had proceeded against them for provocative online content.
• Officials said investigations are ongoing under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act using digital forensics, and they did not rule out additional arrests.
• Authorities said some posts spread beyond Pakistan and risked undercutting the country’s push for de-escalation in the Middle East.
• Amnesty International has warned that Pakistan’s cybercrime law is used against online critics, pointing to recent lengthy sentences for Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha.