By Hira Shahid  |  October 20, 2026

Punjab Bans Hidden-Camera Spy Gadgets: Pen Cameras, Spy Glasses and Watches Outlawed

The Punjab Home Department announced on Monday, October 19, 2026, a province-wide ban on objects fitted with hidden cameras and covert recording devices. The ban covers spy pens, eyeglasses with built-in cameras, watches with secret lenses, camera-enabled smart glasses and other disguised electronic devices. Officials said the move is meant to protect citizens’ privacy and personal information — particularly of women and children — after a wave of complaints about illegal surveillance, harassment and blackmail through secretly filmed footage.

This article explains exactly what has been banned, why the government acted, what penalties you could face for using, buying or selling these gadgets, and the court battle in the Lahore High Court that pushed the issue into the spotlight.

What exactly has Punjab banned?

According to the announcement, the ban targets everyday objects that secretly carry cameras or recording devices. That means any pen that films while you write, any pair of glasses that records what you look at, any watch that hides a lens in its dial, and any smart glasses that can capture video without the people around you realizing it.

The wording matters here. The ban is not about ordinary cameras or your phone. It is about covert devices — things designed to look harmless while doing the job of a surveillance camera. If an item is built to record people without their knowledge, it falls inside the ban.

Most people have never even held a spy pen. These are a niche market, but they are openly sold in electronics markets and online stores — and that is exactly where the problem starts.

Why did the government act now?

The Home Department linked the decision directly to complaints it has been receiving. People reported being filmed without their consent, their private conversations recorded without their knowledge, and that footage later used to harass or blackmail them.

A hidden camera in a pair of glasses can record every word across a cafe table without the other person ever knowing. For women and children, the danger is sharper: secretly filmed footage can be misused to ruin reputations and lives, and the victim often discovers it only when the blackmail starts.

This is the part of the story that tends to get less attention but matters most. Surveillance gadgets sound like spy-movie fun until they are pointed at you.

What action will be taken against violators?

The announcement was blunt: strict legal action will be taken against the use, purchase and sale of these devices, and severe penalties will follow illegal use. That three-word list — use, purchase, sale — is deliberate. It means the net covers the shopkeeper who stocks spy glasses, the buyer who orders a camera pen online, and the person who actually films someone without consent.

Here is the honest caveat: the exact penalties, fines or jail terms have not been spelled out yet. The government has promised a formal notification within a few days, and that is the document that will carry the legal teeth. Until it is issued, treat the announcement as a clear warning with real consequences attached.

Home Secretary: discard such items now

Home Secretary Ahmad Javed Qazi told Dawn the formal notification would be issued within a few days. The announcement came first, he said, so that owners can discard such items before the ban takes legal effect.

The court case that forced this conversation

This ban did not come out of nowhere. The Lahore High Court has been hearing a public-interest petition against the unregulated import and sale of camera-and-microphone smart glasses — with the Ray-Ban Meta glasses named as the prominent example. Not officially sold in Pakistan, they are openly available in Lahore shops and online. The petition cited privacy, human dignity and national security: camera glasses inside a government office, courtroom or school are an obvious risk. The court directed the federal government to place a summary before the federal cabinet and sought responses from the commerce and interior ministries, the FBR and customs on how these devices enter the country. Punjab’s announcement is the first concrete policy step since that pressure built up; the import question still sits with the federal authorities.

What should you do now?

A few practical takeaways:

• If you own such a device, get rid of it — before the notification arrives.
• Shopkeepers: clear hidden-camera gadgets from your shelves; “sale” is explicitly named in the enforcement plan.
• Think before buying online. An order placed today could become a legal problem tomorrow.
• If someone films you secretly, complain. Non-consensual filming is now the government’s problem too, not just yours.

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