You reach the police station after your shop was broken into. The officer asks one question first. "What proof do you have?" You have none. You are told to come back with evidence.
That answer is wrong. The law does not ask for proof at this stage. It asks for information. Here is what the law actually requires, in plain words.
What the law needs before an FIR
Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (the CrPC) says this. Every information about a cognizable offence, given to the officer in charge of a police station, must be recorded. If you speak the information, the officer writes it down, reads it back to you, and takes your signature. The substance goes into the station register. That entry is the FIR.
Notice what the section does not say. It does not say evidence. It does not say proof. It does not say documents. One piece of information is enough, as long as it describes a cognizable offence. The full text of the law is in the official CrPC, 1898 PDF on the Federal Ministry website.
What is a cognizable offence?
A cognizable offence is one where the police can arrest a person without a warrant. That is the definition in section 4 of the CrPC. Murder, robbery, dacoity (robbery by five or more people together), kidnapping and theft all fall in this group. These are the cases where an FIR is registered without argument.
For smaller offences the route is different. Under section 155 of the CrPC, the police note the information in a separate book and send you to the magistrate. They cannot investigate such a case without the magistrate's order.
Where does evidence come in?
Evidence comes after the FIR, not before it. Once the FIR is recorded, the police investigate under section 156 of the CrPC. They visit the place, record witness statements, collect whatever proof exists, and then send the case to court.
The FIR is the first version of events. It is not the proof itself. Courts treat it as the starting point of a case, and delay can hurt the case because evidence can vanish while everyone waits.
Can the police refuse?
No. Not when your information discloses a cognizable offence. The Supreme Court has said this more than once.
In September 2026 the Supreme Court ruled again that an FIR must be registered immediately once information about a cognizable offence reaches the officer in charge. The court said delay is not a small mistake. Officers who delay can face departmental action and contempt proceedings. In that case the police had waited more than three days to register an FIR about a murder, and offered the excuse that the informant was busy with funeral rites. The judgment said that excuse has no place under section 154. Geo News carried the judgment on 18 September 2026.
The same principle comes from the Supreme Court's judgment in Syed Qamber Ali Shah versus Province of Sindh (2024 SCMR 1123). Police cannot hold a private inquiry to test whether your story is true before registering the FIR. That check belongs to the investigation. The High Court of Sindh said the same in Fahad Junaid versus Province of Sindh (2025). The officer in charge cannot refuse to record a statement that discloses a cognizable offence. The order is on the Sindh High Court case law portal.
The Supreme Court put the position simply. A citizen approaches the police as a matter of right, not as a favour.
What to do if the police refuse
- Give your information in writing at the police station, and keep a copy.
- Complain to the District Police Officer or the Regional Police Officer.
- Apply to the Justice of the Peace, which is the District and Sessions Judge of your district, under section 22-A(6) of the CrPC. The Justice of the Peace can direct the police to register the case.
A refusal is not the end of the road. It is the start of a paper trail that ends in a court order.
The guard on the other side: false FIRs
This easy registration has a guard. Filing a false FIR is a crime.
Section 182 of the Pakistan Penal Code punishes a person who gives false information to a public servant, knowing it is false, intending to make that public servant act. The punishment can reach seven years when the offence you reported is punishable with death, five years when it is punishable with life imprisonment, and one quarter of the longest term of imprisonment, or a fine, for other offences.
Section 211 of the Pakistan Penal Code punishes a false charge made with intent to injure someone. The punishment is up to two years, or a fine, or both. It rises to seven years with a fine when the false charge is of an offence punishable with seven years or more, life imprisonment, or death. Both sections are in the Pakistan Penal Code on pakistani.org.
So tell the truth at the station. The law protects a genuine complaint even when you have no proof. It does not protect a made-up one.
If a false FIR is already registered against you, the law has ways to end it. Read how to cancel an FIR in Pakistan.
What this means for you
Do not wait for evidence before you report a crime. Go to the police station of the area where the crime happened. Say what happened, where, and when. Name the person if you know them. Read what the officer wrote before you sign. Keep the FIR number safe and ask for a copy.
If the basics are still unclear, start with our guide on what an FIR is and why it matters.
Once you have the FIR number, you can check the status of your FIR online in Pakistan and follow the case as it moves.
If you worry that an FIR might already exist against your name, you can check whether an FIR is registered against your CNIC.
Read more on the Lexiber blog, or ask your question on the Lexiber home page.
Ask Lexiber free in English or Urdu. It shows you the exact section behind every answer.
