A phone gets snatched at a bus stop. You go to the nearest police station. The officer writes your statement in a register, reads it back to you, and you sign it. That record is your FIR.
FIR stands for first information report. It is the first report of a crime that reaches the police. Under section 154 of the CrPC, the officer in charge has to write down the information you give, read it back to you, get your signature, and enter it in the station register. That page starts every criminal case in Pakistan.
What makes an offence cognizable?
Under section 4 of the CrPC, a cognizable offence is one where police may arrest a person without a warrant. Theft, robbery, hurt, murder and most serious offences fall in this group.
For minor offences the rules are different. The police enter your information in another book and refer you to the magistrate. They cannot investigate on their own without the magistrate's permission (section 155 of the CrPC).
What the police must do when you report a crime
- Write your statement down (section 154 CrPC).
- Read it back to you.
- Take your signature or thumb mark.
- Enter it in the FIR register of the station.
Section 154 of the CrPC and chapters 24 and 25 of the Police Rules, 1934 put this duty on the officer in charge. Courts enforce it strictly. In Fahad Junaid versus Province of Sindh (Constitutional Petition No. S-578 of 2025, High Court of Sindh), the court said the officer in charge cannot refuse to record a statement that discloses a cognizable offence. The Supreme Court said the same in Syed Qamber Ali Shah versus Province of Sindh (2024 SCMR 1123): police cannot hold an inquiry into whether your information is true before registering it. A false FIR is checked later, and the person who files one can be prosecuted under sections 182 and 211 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
What an FIR is not
An FIR is not evidence of what happened. It is the first version of events. Courts use it to see whether what you say later matches what you told the police at the start. If the versions clash, your later statements lose weight.
An FIR is also not a complaint in the legal sense. Under section 4 of the CrPC, a complaint is an allegation made to a magistrate. The FIR goes to the police. They are two different tracks, and you can use both.
What happens after the FIR?
Once the FIR is recorded, the police investigate (section 156 of the CrPC). They record witness statements, collect evidence, and decide who should be sent to court. When the investigation ends, they send a report to the magistrate through the public prosecutor (section 173). People call this the challan.
The law also sets a pace. If the investigation is not finished within fourteen days of the FIR, the police must send an interim report to the court. The magistrate then decides whether the case proceeds to trial. If your case goes to the higher courts later, you can check your high court case status online through the official portals.
What if the police refuse to register your FIR?
They cannot legally refuse, but it happens. You have options.
- Send your information in writing to the Superintendent of Police or the District Police Officer of your district.
- File an application before the Justice of Peace. Under section 22A of the CrPC, an ex officio Justice of Peace can direct the police to register a case when someone complains about non registration.
- Apply to a magistrate under section 156(3) of the CrPC. The magistrate can order the police to investigate.
- File a private complaint before a magistrate, who can take cognizance of the offence directly.
Keep a copy of everything you submit. Dates matter.
Can you check your FIR online?
Yes, in most provinces. The Punjab Police app, the Sindh Police system and the Islamabad Police portal all let you check the status of an FIR and request a copy. The steps for every province are in our guide on how to check your FIR online in Pakistan. For a province by province comparison of every portal, read how to check an FIR online in Pakistan. If you want to check your own CNIC, read how to check for an FIR against your CNIC in Pakistan.
Is the law changing?
Parliament has been amending the CrPC through 2025 and 2026. The bills under discussion add online FIR registration and a zero FIR system, so a person could report a crime at any police station, even outside the area where it happened. Until they start operating, the rules above apply. The full text of the current code is available from the Federal Ministry website, and the proposed changes sit in the National Assembly record. The Sindh High Court order on the duty to register FIRs is on the Sindh High Court case law portal.
What this means for you
If a crime happens to you, go to the police station of the area where it happened. Give your statement, make sure it is written down and read back, sign it, and keep the FIR number safe. That number is your key to every later step.
If you are the person named in an FIR, remember that an FIR is only an allegation. You still have the right to a fair investigation and a fair trial under Article 10A of the Constitution.
Once you have that FIR number, you can check the status of your FIR online in Pakistan and see what stage your case has reached.
Some offences involve children made to work in dangerous places. Our guide to child labour law in Pakistan lists the age limits, the banned workplaces, and the penalties.
Read more on the Lexiber blog, or see how a legal AI with cited sources can answer your questions in English or Urdu. Military personnel face a separate justice system, and our court martial guide covers who can be tried by it.
Not every offence earns an FIR the same way. Some things, like drinking alcohol in Pakistan, are banned by their own special law that works differently for Muslims and non-Muslims. Our guide to the alcohol law in Pakistan explains the penalty and the permit system.
If your case was registered in Punjab, you can check an FIR online in Punjab through the official Dastak portal and the Punjab Police app.
If you need the actual document for a court, a lawyer, or an application, see how to get a copy of your FIR online in Pakistan.
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