Punjab Extends Outdoor Drone Flight Ban by 30 Days Under Section 144 Amid Security Concerns

LAHORE: The Punjab Home Department has extended its province-wide ban on outdoor drone flights for another 30 days, keeping in place one of the government’s most sweeping aerial-security measures as officials continue to cite ongoing threats to public safety.

A spokesperson for the Home Department confirmed on Monday that the complete ban on flying drones in open spaces will remain in force across Punjab, with the extension issued under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898. The move continues a restriction that has been repeatedly renewed since it was first imposed earlier this year.

According to the Home Department, the government decided to maintain restrictions on drone use “in view of security concerns,” the spokesperson said. The blanket prohibition applies to all outdoor drone operations across the province, effectively grounding recreational, commercial and hobbyist flights in open areas for another month.

Some flexibility remains for indoor settings. Limited use of small drones will continue to be permitted at events held inside halls and marquees — a carve-out aimed at wedding videographers, corporate event organizers and others who rely on aerial footage for indoor functions. However, the responsibility for ensuring safe operation during such events rests entirely with the organizers, the department said.

Not all drone activity falls under the restriction. Per the notification, intelligence agencies and law enforcement bodies have been exempted from the ban altogether, allowing security institutions to continue using drones for surveillance and operational purposes without interruption.

Separately, the Home Department has set up district-level “Safe Drone Usage Committees” tasked with vetting and approving drone use for specific civilian purposes. Written permission for agricultural, irrigation and research-related drone operations will be granted by the respective district committees, and any drone flying under such written authorization will likewise be exempted from the ban. The arrangement is designed to keep essential and economically valuable drone applications running — such as crop monitoring and canal or irrigation surveys — even as general recreational and commercial flights stay grounded.

The restriction has been imposed by the Secretary of the Punjab Home Department under Section 144(6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 — a colonial-era legal provision long used by district administrations across Pakistan to prohibit unlawful assembly, regulate public gatherings, and, in recent years, restrict activities deemed a risk to public order, including drone flights and pillion riding.

The department has directed district administrations and police units across Punjab to ensure strict implementation of the order. Violations of Section 144 orders can carry legal consequences, including the registration of criminal cases against offenders.

Monday’s extension is not the first of its kind. Punjab first imposed an outdoor drone ban in late February this year, describing it at the time as an “immediate and complete” measure necessitated by credible security threats to public and private property. That original notification followed Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s approval of a dedicated anti-drone unit intended to help intercept potential aerial threats, part of a wider push to tighten security screening at the province’s key entry and exit points.

Since then, the government has renewed the ban roughly every month, each time citing the same underlying security rationale while preserving exemptions for indoor events, law enforcement and permitted agricultural use. Monday’s notification follows that established pattern, suggesting authorities do not yet consider the threat environment sufficiently eased to lift restrictions.

The repeated extensions underscore the tension between Punjab’s security priorities and the province’s growing civilian drone economy, which spans agriculture, real estate photography, film production, and event management. Industry stakeholders reliant on outdoor aerial imagery have had to adapt to months of continuous restrictions, while the Safe Drone Usage Committees offer a narrow, permission-based channel for essential non-security uses to continue.

For now, the Home Department has reiterated that the safety of the public, maintenance of law and order, and protection of public property remain the government’s top priorities, and has signaled that strict enforcement will continue for the duration of the extended order.