Qanoon Pakistan Law Reference

Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA)

PECA 2016 § 18 — Tampering, etc

This page reproduces the English text stored for section 18 of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The statute citation and data status are shown below.

Statutory text (English)

of communication equipment. —Whoever unlawfully or without
authorization changes, alters, tampers with or re-programs unique device identifier of any
communication equipment including a cellular or wireless handset and starts using or marketing such
device for transmitting and receiving information shall be punished with imprisonment which may
extend to three years or with fine which may extend to one million rupees or with both.

Explanation.— A “unique device identifier” is an electronic equipment identifier which is
unique to a communication device.

Source and verification

Source citation: PECA 2016 (Act XL of 2016) s.18: Pakistan Code portal consolidated official PDF 'THE PREVENTION OF ELECTRONIC CRIMES ACT, 2016' (incl. Act XXXVII of 2023 & Act II of 2025 amendments), p. 21, ingested 2026-09-15. Automated transcription from official source (pypdf extraction, audited artifact repair); human admin re-check required before production.

Verification status: verified · Text status: auto_transcribed_verified_source

The record cites an official source, but its transcription is automated or only partly checked; a human re-check is pending.

Official Urdu text status: pending_official_urdu_text. Where official Urdu wording has not been sourced, Qanoon does not substitute an unverified translation for the statutory text.

Historical text notes

1 historical record is linked to this section. Historical wording may be incomplete or pending verification; it is not presented as current law.

  • Date not confirmed: Consolidated current text as published in the official Pakistan Code PDF (p. 21) — reflects all amendments recorded in the official footnotes up to ingest date 2026-09-15. Automated transcription; per-amendment version…

Read this provision with care

This is a public reference to a stored statute record, not legal advice or a case-specific interpretation. Check the latest official gazette, applicable amendments and jurisdiction before relying on the text. A citation and verification label describe the record in this app; they cannot confirm that no later change has occurred. For a real legal matter, consult a licensed advocate.

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