Your phone gets snatched in the evening. Or someone refuses to leave the shop you rented to them. You know the police can only act after an FIR. You also know you cannot leave work tomorrow. So you ask: can I file the FIR from my phone tonight?
The honest answer: not exactly. What you can submit online in Pakistan is a written complaint. The FIR itself is registered by the police. This post explains the difference, province by province, so you know what works and what does not.
What is an FIR, really?
An FIR (First Information Report) is the entry a police station makes in its register when someone reports a cognizable offence. A cognizable offence is one where police can investigate and arrest without a court order first.
The law behind it is Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898. The officer in charge of the station must write down what you report, read it back to you, and take your signature. Your statement then goes into the station register. That entry is the FIR. Our guide on what an FIR is covers this in plain words.
Notice what the law does not mention. No websites. No apps. The CrPC was written in 1898. The online systems came later, and every province built its own.
Complaint versus FIR: the key difference
When you fill an online form, you file a complaint. Lawyers make this point sharply. A complaint becomes an FIR only when the Station House Officer (SHO) records it in the official FIR register and gives it a number.
So the online route is real, but it is a two step process. Step one: your complaint reaches the police. Step two: the police decide whether the offence is cognizable and register the FIR.
What each province actually offers
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: the most complete online route
KP police run an online FIR form on their own portal at complaints.kppolice.gov.pk/online-fir. You fill the form and get a tracking number. The police website says you receive the complaint tracking number within 24 to 48 hours, and you can follow progress on the portal or the PAS app.
This is not theoretical. The News reported in 2018 that KP police had registered 2,643 online FIRs after the portal launched, and KP keeps all its FIR records in a central digitized database.
Islamabad: the complaint management system
ICT Police launched its online Complaint Management System (CMS) in March 2022. The CMS accepts FIR registration requests, complaints against officials, crimes against women and children, and traffic complaints. You get an E tag number by SMS to track progress. The portal is complaints.islamabadpolice.gov.pk. A 2025 study of the system found that most complainants still prefer visiting the station, but the online route exists and works.
Punjab: complaints plus WhatsApp
Punjab police launched an Online Complaint Management System in August 2022, along with a WhatsApp service on 0331 7871787. You can file a complaint and get an E tag number. The e complaint form is on the Punjab police website.
Punjab is the most digitized province. Every police station uses the Police Station Record Management System, and more than 4.6 million FIRs had been entered into it by 2021. FIRs are computer generated, and complainants receive a printed copy with a QR code. The system covers the full life of a case, from registration to court proceedings.
Sindh: the IGP complaint management system
Sindh police run the IGP Complaint Management System at igpcms.sindhpolice.gov.pk, with helpline 1715. You can register a complaint and track it online. The reality varies by area. In Karachi the online system works reasonably well. In interior Sindh, police still write FIRs by hand in the station register (the roznamcha), and online registration is effectively nonexistent there.
Balochistan: e complaints
Balochistan police have an e complaint portal at balochistanpolice.gov.pk/e-complaints, and a digital system that includes online FIR registration went live in January 2021. Coverage in remote districts is thin, so a visit to the station often still happens.
Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir
No province wide online FIR system is documented for either region. Go to the station.
What to keep ready before you fill the form
Have these ready: your CNIC; the date, time and place of the incident; what happened in your own words; names or descriptions of the people involved; and names and addresses of witnesses.
This is the same information Section 154 expects at the station. The online form asks for it so the SHO has everything he needs to decide.
What happens after you submit
You get a tracking number. The complaint goes to the police station for your area. The SHO reviews it. If the offence is cognizable, he records it in the register and assigns an FIR number. If it is not, the information still gets entered in the daily diary.
Do not be surprised if you are asked to visit the station once. Lawyers told the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada that online complainants are usually called in to verify the contents and sign. Your signature is what makes the FIR legally yours. Once it is registered, you can check your FIR status online in Pakistan and get a copy of your FIR online.
If the police refuse or delay
In September 2025 the Supreme Court ruled that delays and refusals in FIR registration cannot be justified. The Court said the duty officer is legally bound to register a complaint as soon as possible and cannot delay a case. It also flagged a worrying trend of delayed FIRs in Sindh.
If a station refuses your complaint, go up the chain: the Sub Divisional Police Officer, the Superintendent or District Police Officer, the CCPO in big cities, or the provincial police chief. A private complaint before a court is another route.
One warning
Online filing is convenient, so keep it honest. Giving false information to police is an offence under Section 182 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Making a false charge is an offence under Section 211. The penalties grow with the seriousness of the false accusation.
The bottom line
You can start an FIR from your phone in KP, Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. But the FIR itself is registered by the police, not by you. Treat the online form as the first step. Keep your details ready, and be prepared to visit the station once to sign.
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