Singer Salman Ahmad booked under PECA

LAHORE: A case has been registered against Pakistani-American musician and activist Salman Ahmad under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) for allegedly spreading false propaganda against state institutions on social media.

According to the FIR, filed by the Defence A police station, Salman Ahmad has over 265,000 followers on X, and allegedly used the platform to share hateful and misleading content targeting national security institutions.

The FIR states that a police officer on duty personally viewed the post and found it to be provocative and defamatory in nature.

The case accuses Salman Ahmad of deliberately attempting to incite public sentiment through false narratives, in violation of laws related to cybercrime and national security.

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Earlier in December 2024, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had terminated the basic membership of Salman Ahmad, citing his alleged dissemination of “unwarranted and scurrilous posts on social media”.

In an official notification issued by the PTI’s central secretariat, the party had accused Ahmad of using social media platforms, including X, to post “unwarranted and scurrilous posts” aimed at creating division among PTI supporters.

The statement had also highlighted Ahmad’s criticism of the family of PTI’s founder Imran Khan. 

The notification stated, “Despite repeated warnings and dissociation from your conduct, you continued to post objectionable content against the party and its leadership. Your actions violated explicit instructions from the party and its chairman.” 

It added that Ahmad had been repeatedly cautioned through press releases from the PTI Core Committee to cease his objectionable behavior but had defied those warnings. 

Prior to this termination, PTI had distanced itself through a formal declaration from Salman Ahmad and other expatriate individuals in December 2023, for “engaging in disseminating malicious propaganda aimed at destabilizing the state of Pakistan with the alleged intent of facilitating Imran Khan’s ascent to power.”