Man booked under Peca over viral video of traffic police

A shop owner in Rawalpindi has been booked under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) after a video of traffic police lifting a "wrongly parked vehicle went viral on social media".

The case, the second to be registered under Peca in Rawalpindi, was registered at Cantt Police Station on the complaint of Traffic Warden Imran Sikandar.

According to the FIR — which includes sub-section 1D of Section 21, the shop owner had uploaded a video on social media wherein the traffic police were lifting a "wrongly parked vehicle" from outside the ship.

"The video was shared to incite public hatred against the traffic police," the FIR added.

The federal government introduced and passed the amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act in January 2025.

The new amendments add Section 26(A) to Peca, which seeks to penalise perpetrators of “fake news” online. It says anyone who intentionally spreads, displays, or transmits false information likely to cause fear, panic, or unrest in society may face up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to Rs2 million, or both.

Last week, the Rawalpindi Police registered the first case under the Peca and arrested the accused, Muhammad Rehan, for an inappropriate post on social media. The accused was later shifted to jail, he added.

“Breaking the law, misinformation and negative propaganda cannot be allowed under the guise of freedom of expression,” the spokesman said.

Action would be taken under PECA on any post based on misinformation or against the state and law and order, he added.