Preliminary draft of Punjab law against online harassment, blackmail prepared
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LAHORE: An initial draft of the Punjab Online Safety Act 2026, which is meant to address the issue of harassment and blackmail on social media, has been prepared and will soon be presented in the Punjab Assembly for approval.
“The government will introduce strict legislation – the Punjab Online Safety Act 2026 – to ensure exemplary punishment for perpetrators involved in social media harassment and blackmail,” Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said here on Friday.
She said that (after the enactment of the law) a dedicated Punjab Cyber Crime Unit would also be established.
Presiding over a meeting here on Friday, she said the special mobile units would be set up to help minor boys and girls affected by online harassment and blackmail, enabling them to lodge complaints without visiting police stations or offices.
CM says Punjab to also have independent cybercrime unit
“Victims, especially women and children, will also be able to register complaints through a virtual police station, the Cyber Crime Unit front desk and the ‘PKM’ mobile application, while ensuring complete confidentiality of their identity,” she said.
The CM also expressed her resolve to establish a ‘Cyber Patrol Wing’ and a ‘Cyber Police Academy’ under the Punjab Police. Additionally, an advanced intelligence system would be introduced for effective social media monitoring and surveillance, she said.
Ms Nawaz directed the authorities concerned to adopt a proactive approach to curb cybercrime and ensure robust data protection measures. “Cybercrime poses a serious challenge and safeguarding the younger generation remains a top priority. Modern technology and tools will be fully utilised to protect young girls from blackmailing, while urging parents to closely monitor their children’s social media usage,” she said.
She said no individual had the right to violate others’ privacy and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to bringing cyber criminals to justice and setting a strong precedent.
Unhappy with the performance of the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), the chief minister said the administration had decided in principle to set up its own wing to deal with the rising incidents of cybercrime in the province.
Punjab has reportedly been facing difficulties as its complaints are not being properly addressed by the NCCIA. The prolonged delay in addressing the complaint is another issue.
“Keeping in view the sharp rise in cybercrime in the most-populated province of the country, Punjab feels the need to have a separate wing to deal with the menace,” an official source says.
After the NCCIA was established in May last year, replacing the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime Wing, the Punjab government tried to develop a “working relationship” with the federal agency, but it did not yield results, the source says.
The Punjab government has been facing increasing social media challenges, particularly the targeting of the Sharif family by political opponents. Even provincial ministers, including Information Minister Azma Bokhari, have filed complaints with the NCCIA against individuals involved in their online character assassination.
The NCCIA, on the other hand, has been struggling with severe human resource shortage as thousands of complaints pour in every month. Given a large backlog and limited resources, the agency has not been able to process cases efficiently.
“At the NCCIA, complaints arrive in thousands every month. These are mostly related to account hacking, harassment and financial fraud,” the official says, adding that evidence collection also remains a major challenge due to non-cooperation from some social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Google, and Gmail.
Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2026
