The Government of Pakistan has amended the Rules of Business 1973 to shift responsibilities regarding the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) from the Ministry of Information Technology & Information (MOITT) to the Ministry of the Interior, during a federal cabinet meeting chaired by Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif. In the context of governance in Pakistan, “Rules of Business” refers to the rules by which all “business” or “all work done by the Federal Government” is to be undertaken, as per relevant ministries. The government has not as yet updated the “Rules of Business 1973” on its websites as yet, so the version embedded above is the most up to date as of January 22, 2025.

 

News reports have not thus far discussed what this shift in ministerial oversight for PECA might mean in regards to the rights of freedom of expression and to privacy, especially in the light of proposed amendments to the PECA that seek to provide legal grounds for banning VPNs and other means of accessing social media.