PML-N MPA and Parliamentary Secretary for Human Rights and Minority Affairs, Sonia Asher, is facing legal action under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) Amendment Act 2025 for allegedly spreading fake news on social media about an ongoing rape case.
A Christian woman from Lahore filed an application with the FIA Cyber Crime Wing, requesting an investigation into Sonia Asher under the controversial PECA law 2025.
The application alleges that Sonia Asher’s false social media post has negatively impacted the legal proceedings related to her minor daughter’s alleged abduction and rape case.
According to the petition, a case was registered at Faisal Town Police Station in Lahore regarding the alleged abduction and sexual assault of the petitioner’s daughter, which occurred in October last year. The accused are currently in police custody, and their bail applications were rejected by the court last month.
The petitioner stated that MPA Sonia Asher and her colleagues had initially expressed sympathy for her situation. However, on February 2, Asher posted a video on her Facebook account falsely claiming that the accused had been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
In her post, Asher credited Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for securing the supposed conviction. The petitioner argued that this information was entirely fabricated and has negatively impacted the ongoing legal proceedings.
“This fake news shared by the parliamentary secretary has had a detrimental impact on the trial of my daughter’s case,” the petitioner stated in her complaint.
She has urged authorities to take immediate legal action against Asher for spreading false information, which she claims has complicated the case and potentially obstructed justice for her daughter.
The petitioner has requested that a case be registered against the MPA under the controversial PECA law 2025, which has been widely criticized for its potential to restrict freedom of expression.
