How to file an FIR from abroad

An FIR can be initiated without your physical presence, though a properly authorised representative makes it far easier.

Routes available

• A registered special power of attorney authorising a named person to lodge and pursue a criminal complaint on your behalf
• Online complaint through the Pakistan Citizen Portal, which reaches the district police and is tracked
• Written complaint to the district police officer or regional police officer by courier, with attested documents
• Complaint through the Overseas Pakistanis Commission, which routes it to the police with official weight

If the police refuse to register

1. Send a written complaint to the district police officer, keeping proof of delivery.
2. Escalate to the regional police officer and the provincial police complaint authority.
3. Apply to the Justice of the Peace — an Additional Sessions Judge — who can direct registration of an FIR.
4. Raise it with the Overseas Pakistanis Commission simultaneously.

Attach documents to every complaint: ownership record, tax receipts, photographs. A complaint without documents is filed and forgotten.