Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) is concerned over the registration of a case under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) against Lahore Rang reporter Muhammad Aslam in Vehari in the Punjab province. PPF urges authorities to immediately drop the PECA charges against Aslam and to ensure that journalists are not subjected to harassment or legal action for their work. The use of cybercrime laws to target journalists sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom in Pakistan.
On July 29, a criminal complaint (First Information Report) was registered at Daniwal Police Station on the complaint of Municipal Officer Majeed Pathan. The FIR accused Aslam of uploading a video on social media alleging that the Municipal Committee Vehari was using substandard materials in a World Bank–funded road construction project under the Punjab Cities Program. The complaint claimed the video was intended to “blackmail and damage the administration’s reputation” and asserted that Aslam “lacked the technical expertise” to make such claims. The case was lodged under Sections 20, 24, and 27 of PECA.
Speaking to PPF on August 1, Aslam said the FIR was filed in retaliation for his investigative report alleging corruption in the Punjab Cities Program, announced by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, which he shared on his Facebook account. He claimed that contractor Nasir Majeed misappropriated funds and used substandard materials — including inferior crash material, oil in place of pure bitumen, and a water-based primer coat instead of kerosene oil — defects that he warned would cause the road to deteriorate within a few years. Aslam said he verified his sources before publishing and sent material samples for testing.
The Additional District and Sessions Judge of Multan, Mumtaz Ahmed, granted Aslam pre-arrest bail and ordered that he not be taken into custody until the August 20 hearing, further directing him to cooperate with the investigation.
Journalist bodies and press freedom advocates have condemned the case. In separate conversations with PPF, Vehari Press Club General Secretary Mian Imran Hafeez called the FIR “an attack on press freedom” and warned of protests if the case was not withdrawn. Vehari Union of Journalists President Muhammad Irfan Chaudhry termed it “a blatant misuse of PECA to silence a journalist” and urged an independent investigation.
