Overview
- Punjab’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency carried out coordinated raids that led to the detention of 11 social media activists on Friday, May 29.
- Officials said the suspects were accused of running provocative campaigns targeting state institutions, especially the Pakistan Army, and were booked under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.
- Authorities are extracting phones, accounts, and other digital records to map the activists’ online networks and links to wider campaigns.
- Officials reported that some detainees have alleged ties to Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, a claim that has been reported by authorities but not independently verified in the coverage.
- The operation follows an earlier wave this month when 13 other alleged anti-state social media actors were arrested, a pattern that rights groups say risks chilling online speech while officials say it aims to curb unrest.