• Formal notification to be issued in a few days; traders given time to remove devices
• Cabinet also approves illicit arms surrender plan, digital registration system
LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to impose a complete ban on the use, sale and purchase of spying devices, including everyday items equipped with hidden cameras and recording equipment, such as glasses, pens and watches.
The Punjab Home Department has yet to issue a formal order imposing the ban, allowing traders a window of opportunity to remove such devices from shops and social media platforms.
A statement by the department described the items as objects “used for spying” and said the decision had been taken to protect citizens’ privacy and personal information, particularly that of women and children.
The statement said “strict legal action” would be taken against the use, purchase and sale of “spying devices and covert electronic devices”. It further warned that the “illegal use” of objects equipped with hidden cameras would invite “severe penalties”.
The department also said it had received complaints about the use of spying devices for “illegal surveillance, harassment and blackmailing”.
Punjab Home Secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi told Dawn that a formal notification to implement the ban would be issued in a few days. He explained that the ban had been announced before the notification to give people time to discard such items.
“The Punjab government will come hard on removing all such spying gadgets to protect citizens’ privacy across the province,” he said.
Amid concerns about the misuse of such devices, the Lahore High Court (LHC) is also hearing a public interest petition challenging the unregulated import and sale of smart glasses equipped with cameras and microphones, citing threats to people’s privacy, dignity and national security.
Global technology company Meta, in particular, has faced criticism over its AI-powered smart glasses, with critics dubbing the eyewear “pervert glasses”.
Although Meta has not officially listed Pakistan as a market, a lawyer representing a private citizen in a case before the LHC contended that the glasses are being openly sold online and in shops across Lahore.
Taking up the petition on Thursday, the LHC directed the federal government to forward a summary to the federal cabinet regarding the unregulated import and sale of smart glasses. The Punjab cabinet has also approved the Punjab Surrender of Illicit Arms plan, tasking the Home Department with updating the law and launching an awareness campaign about the possession of illicit weapons.
Dr Qazi told Dawn that the department would establish a dedicated digital system and urge people possessing illicit weapons to visit designated locations, yet to be announced, to register themselves and their weapons as part of the surrender process.
“The system will not just be a dumping of illicit arms, but complete verification, including whether such weapons have been used in any crime or appear in police records,” Dr Qazi explained.
He added that a former Punjab police chief had stated that more than 95 per cent of firearms used in criminal activities were unregistered and illicit.
Dr Qazi said the law would also give people an opportunity to register weapons in their names and renew their arms licences.
People, however, complain that the Punjab government is not allowing them to apply for new arms licences.
Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2026
