SilencedOfficial Secrets Act Section 5: Wrongful communication, etc., of information
Official Secrets Act, 1923
What this section covers
Official heading: Wrongful communication, etc., of information
Communicating, receiving or retaining secret official information without authorisation. Has been invoked against journalists and politicians over leaked documents and statements.
Part of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. A colonial-era law protecting state secrets. It makes it an offence to obtain, keep or pass on secret official information without authorisation (section 5).
A plain-language explanation, not legal advice. The official text always takes precedence.
Official text
The official consolidated text, published by the Ministry of Law and Justice on Pakistan Code:
Recent incidents citing this law
The following verified cases are currently mapped on Silenced under this law.
No verified incident on the map cites this law yet.