PECA case filed against Nooreen Niazi over alleged anti-state remarks

Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has registered a case against Nooreen Niazi, the sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan under various sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the Pakistan Penal Code.

The FIR alleges that Nooreen Niazi made “false and baseless accusations” against the state of Pakistan and its institutions including the armed forces, during a podcast interview and attempted to undermine public trust in state institutions.

A few days earlier, a clip from Nooreen Niazi’s interview went viral on social media in which she allegedly discussed the Pakistani military, “Battle of Haq,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump and the Abraham Accords. After the clip went viral, the NCCIA issued a notice summoning Nooreen Niazi.

According to the FIR, the controversial interview was shared from various accounts on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and later went viral.

The case alleges that Nooreen Niazi attempted to deny the achievements of the Pakistan Army during the Pakistan-India conflict in May 2025 while also allegedly spreading a false narrative to create hatred, fear and distrust against state institutions among the public.

The FIR further states that her statements were allegedly aimed at deliberately damaging the reputation of state and defence institutions.

According to the NCCIA, Nooreen Niazi was issued multiple notices directing her to record her statement and join the investigation. However, a case was registered against her based on initial evidence. The agency said that the involvement of other possible individuals would be determined during the investigation.

The case against Nooreen Niazi has been registered under Sections 20 and 26A of PECA 2016 along with Sections 505 and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

PTI and Nooreen Niazi’s response

Neither Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf nor Nooreen Niazi has issued an official response regarding the case so far. However, in a video shared by PTI’s official X account, Nooreen Niazi can be heard saying in response to a journalist’s question that she was unaware of the matter.

She further said: “I have never done anything in my life that would result in an FIR being registered against me.”

Earlier, on Saturday (18 July), the NCCIA had issued a notice to Nooreen Niazi over allegations of spreading “false, defamatory and provocative content” on social media and allegedly damaging state institutions.

The Cyber Crime Reporting Centre of the NCCIA had directed Nooreen Niazi to appear on 20 July at 12 noon and provide an explanation regarding the controversial statement.

Federal Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry condemned Nooreen Niazi’s statements, accused PTI leadership of promoting an anti-state narrative and said that legal action had been initiated.

What was mentioned in NCCIA notice?

The Cyber Crime Reporting Centre of the NCCIA, Islamabad issued a summons notice to Nooreen Niazi on 18 July 2026.

According to the notice, she was called to appear at the NCCIA office in Islamabad on 20 July 2026 at 12 noon. The notice stated that an inquiry was being conducted into allegations of spreading “false, provocative and defamatory content” on social media and promoting a negative narrative against state institutions.

The agency instructed Nooreen Khan Niazi to appear on the given date so that her statement could be recorded. It also warned that legal action could be taken under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code if she failed to appear.

Government’s position

State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry condemned Nooreen Niazi’s remarks and alleged that Imran Khan’s sister had repeated statements similar to those previously made by members of his family. He claimed that their politics and actions give the impression that their aim is to harm Pakistan.

He further said that after the recent interview, “there is no room left to deny that the PTI founder is a proxy of foreign powers.”

He repeated allegations regarding foreign funding, Imran Khan’s personal life, the upbringing of his children and claims related to his former wife’s family, alleging that he had received support, funding and lobbying from foreign circles.

Talal Chaudhry said: “This is no longer a hidden matter. Their target is not only the army or Pakistan’s institutions; their target is Pakistan itself.” He added that legal proceedings against Nooreen Niazi had been started and that she was issued a notice to present her viewpoint.

Journalist’s explanation: “The editorial team decided not to upload interview”

Journalist Ehtishamullah Behlam who conducted the interview told BBC Urdu that the interview was recorded on 15 May, when one year had passed since the May 2025 Pakistan-India clashes. He said that Nooreen Khan was asked questions in this context and gave her response.

According to Ehtishamullah, the interview was recorded for a YouTube channel. He explained that after listening to Nooreen Khan’s remarks, he and the channel owner decided not to upload the interview. He said that only two short portions of the interview were separated and sent to the editorial team not for publishing but for consultation.

According to him, one of those clips was the same one that later went viral. However, he did not explain how the video was uploaded on social media.