SilencedPPC Section 505: Statement conducing to public mischief
Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), 1860
What this section covers
Official heading: Statement conducing to public mischief
Making, publishing or circulating statements, rumours or reports likely to cause mutiny, public fear or alarm, or to incite one class or community against another.
Maximum penalty: Up to 7 years, and fine
Part of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), 1860. Pakistan's main criminal code, enacted in 1860 and amended many times since. It defines most crimes and their punishments. The sections tracked here are those reports cite in speech cases: conspiracy and sedition-type offences (121-A, 131), promoting enmity between groups (153-A), statements causing public mischief (505), criminal intimidation (506), and the blasphemy laws (295-A to 298-C).
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.
5 verified incidents whose report cites 505. Citations are read automatically from news reports and can be incomplete; inclusion does not verify the allegation.
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فوج کے خلاف مبینہ مہم کے مقدمے میں نورین نیازی کی حفاظتی ضمانت منظور
جبکہ نورین نیازی کی حفاظتی ضمانت منظور کرتے ہوئے این سی سی آئی اے کو انھیں گرفتار کرنے سے روکا گیا ہے۔ ایف آئی آر کے مطابق متنازع انٹرویو سوشل میڈیا پلیٹ فارم ایکس (سابقہ ٹوئٹر) کے مختلف اکاؤنٹس سے شیئر کیا گیا اور بعد ازاں وائرل ہو گیا۔
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Punjab police file three cases under Peca for deepfake content
A police official said the three cases were registered on the complaints of the local ‘respected citizens and businessmen’ with no arrest of any suspect nominated in the FIRs so far. Similarly, Abdul Raoof alleged in the FIR registered with the Kot Lakphat police that an unknown man uploaded AI-generated fabricated and immoral video clips and photos of Maryam Nawaz on his social media account ‘The Last Hope’.
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Project Peca III: What goes around, comes around
The year 2020 began on the heels of sedition cases against the Student Solidarity March organisers in December 2019 and PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen’s arrest in January, followed by the arrests of MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir as well as those of several AWP leaders. In the case of Umair Solangi, Executive Editor of AwamiKhabarnama.com , he tweeted that he was illegally detained by the FIA who picked him up at 9pm on October 21, 2020, releasing him the next day in the early hours at around 4am.
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Project Peca II: A weapon of mass intimidation
The PTM’s jalsas gained momentum across the country, agitating the issue of missing persons and enforced disappearances, which also led to clampdowns on their protests, and FIRs and arrests against organisers and participants. In July 2018, rights activist Hayat Preghal was taken into custody, charged under sections 9 and 10 of Peca, along with sections 500 and 109 of the PPC for allegedly posting content “critical of Pakistani state policies” on social media.
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Project Peca I: How to silence a nation
The Pakistani state has a long history of using legal and illegal measures [enforced disappearances, for instance] to ensure everyone toes the line and protect the status quo. Swati is also not the first politician to be arrested for making “remarks against institutions” on social media.