PECA 2016 § 37 — Unlawful on-line content

Statutory text (English)

(1) The Authority shall have the power to remove or block
or issue directions for removal or blocking of access to an information through any information system
if it considers it necessary in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of
Pakistan or any part thereof, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court or
commission of or incitement to an offence under this Act.

(2) The Authority shall, with the approval of the Federal Government, prescribe rules
providing for, among other matters, safeguards, transparent process and effective oversight mechanism
for exercise of powers under sub-section

(1).

(3) Until such rules are prescribed under sub-section

(2), the Authority shall exercise its powers
under this Act or any other law for the time being in force in accordance with the directions issued by
the Federal Government not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act.

(4) Any person aggrieved from any order passed by the Authority under sub-section

(1), may
file an application with the Authority for review of the order within thirty days from the date of passing
of the order.

(5) An appeal against the decision of the Authority in review shall lie before the 1[Tribunal]
within thirty days of the order of the Authority in review.

Source and verification

Source citation: PECA 2016 (Act XL of 2016) s.37: Pakistan Code portal consolidated official PDF 'THE PREVENTION OF ELECTRONIC CRIMES ACT, 2016' (incl. Act XXXVII of 2023 & Act II of 2025 amendments), p. 31, 32, 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. 31, 32) — reflects all amendments recorded in the official footnotes up to ingest date 2026-09-15. Automated transcription; per-amendment…

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