The Sindh government on Wednesday issued a statement dismissing a false security alert circulating through WhatsApp, which claimed that a high-level security alert had been imposed in Karachi from November 12-30.
A day prior, 12 people were killed and 36 were injured in a suicide blast outside the district and sessions court building in Islamabad’s G-11 area, according to officials. Security was tightened in the federal capital and in other major areas like Lahore.
The fake warning doing the rounds stated: “Based on verified intelligence reports received from federal and provincial law enforcement agencies, the Government of Sindh has declared a high-level security alert in the Karachi Metropolitan Area, effective from 12:01am on November 12, 2025, until 11:59pm on November 30, 2025.”
The alert listed several public places such as shopping centres and schools that were declared “high-risk locations” and to be avoided by the public, including Dolmen Mall, Empress Market, Jinnah International Airport and all schools, colleges, academies and tuition centres.
It also provided security measures that malls and markets, educational institutions and the general public should employ, ranging from walkthrough gate and metal detector searches to reporting suspicious, unattended vehicles.
“Failure to comply with these instructions will result in strict legal action under the Sindh Security of Vulnerable Establishments Act 2024 and the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997,” the notice read, bearing the name of Sindh Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Syed Kaleem Imam.
Later today, the Sindh Home Department issued a statement clarifying that the alert was fake and refuted that it issued any such notification under the reference number HD/Sec/Clarification-11/2025.
“No official correspondence bearing the aforementioned reference number or title has been released by this department or by any law enforcement agency operating under its administrative control,” the home department stated.
“It is further clarified that all genuine security advisories, alerts, and notifications are issued exclusively through official channels of the home department or through duly authorised law enforcement agencies,” it added. “Any document or message circulated outside these channels should be considered unauthentic and misleading.”
The press release urged the general public and the media to refrain from “sharing or relying upon unverified information” on social media and to verify official communications through government sources.
Yesterday, the imposition of Section 144 across the province was extended for another month, a notification from the Sindh Home Department stated.
Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period.
The department imposed Section 144 across the province for a period of one month on October 12 to maintain law and order in the interest of “public and peace”.
According to the notification the ban on all public gatherings and demonstrations was extended for another month, effective from November 12 (Wednesday).
