Pakistan 'decides to enforce' Official Secret Act for sharing classified documents

Pakistan’s government has reportedly decided to take stern action against people involved in unauthorised dissemination of sensitive and classified information on social media platforms.

Sources privy to the development said the cabinet division has forwarded directions to the ministries and institutions working under them.

In the direction, the officers of the ministries have been directed to ensure secrecy of the classified and important documents.

The officer found leaking and sharing important classified documents will be held equally responsible for the violation and will be tried under the Official Secret Act 2023.

The violation will result in a punishment of two years.

Last week, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in his post on X, formerly known as Twitter, said that the notice had been taken, particularly after the open display of classified documents, especially documents labelled as secret.

Read more: PM Shehbaz Sharif approves Peca law amendments to regulate social media

“The spread of such information can seriously damage Pakistan’s relations with its friends and brotherly countries in addition to harming Pakistan’s strategic and economic interests,” the minister wrote in his post.

On May 9, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a draft for amending the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 to regulate social media.

According to the details, the establishment of the Digital Rights Protection Agency (DRPA) has been approved under the PECA Act 2024.