ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting was informed on Thursday that only nine of around 372 eligible cases registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) had so far been transferred to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), despite amendments to the law granting the agency exclusive authority to investigate such offences.

Briefing the committee, chaired by Senator Sarmad Ali, an NCCIA official said provincial police continued to retain the overwhelming majority of Peca cases despite the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, which requires investigations to be transferred to the agency once Peca offences are invoked in a first information report (FIR).

According to the agency, 19 Peca-related cases were registered in Islamabad, 268 in Punjab, 47 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 in Sindh, seven in Balochistan, 10 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and none in Gilgit-Baltistan.

However, officials said only nine cases — all transferred by Sindh Police — had so far been handed over to the NCCIA for investigation.

The agency maintained that once Peca provisions were included in an FIR, provincial police no longer had the legal authority to investigate the matter and were required to transfer the case to the NCCIA.

Officials said provincial authorities had informed the agency that the remaining transfers were still under process.

Senator Waqar Mehdi questioned why under-trial Peca cases pending before courts had also not been transferred to the NCCIA despite earlier directions issued by the committee.

He said provincial prosecution departments and advocate generals should explain why the pending cases had yet to be shifted.

Responding to the query, the NCCIA official reiterated that police lost investigative jurisdiction immediately after Peca provisions were invoked in an FIR, comparing the arrangement to offences under the Anti-Terrorism Act, which are investigated by the Counter-Terrorism Department rather than regular police.

Following the discussion, committee chairman Senator Sarmad Ali directed that fresh instructions be issued to provincial inspectors general of police, advocate generals and other relevant authorities to transfer all pending Peca cases to the NCCIA and explain the reasons for delays in implementing the committee’s earlier directives.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2026