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January 29, 2025 - Comments Off on Journalists stage country-wide protests against PECA Amendments

Journalists stage country-wide protests against PECA Amendments

Journalist bodies strongly protested against the PECA amendments across the major cities on Tuesday 28 January.

During the passage of the bill in the Senate, journalists walked out of the Senate press gallery in protest. Later, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) organised a protest march from the Islamabad National Press Club to D-Chowk, where, addressing the crowd, PFUJ President Afzal Butt called the bill a ‘black law’.

In Karachi, responding to an appeal by PFUJ, the Joint Action Committee of Media Bodies (JAC) staged a protest outside Karachi Press Club. Mazhar Abbas, a senior member of PFUJ commented “The government has to learn the lessons as it was earlier used against the same party, which had passed the law in a haste.” Members of the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ), Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), and the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) were also in attendance.

January 28, 2025 - Comments Off on Senate passes PECA Amendments and Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2025

Senate passes PECA Amendments and Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2025

Pakistan’s Senate approved the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (2025) amendments and the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill on Tuesday, 28 January. The PECA amendments had earlier been approved by the National Assembly and Senate Committee on Interior. Similarly, the Senate Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication had passed the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2025 by majority vote.

The PECA amendments establish harsher penalties for disinformation, including up to three years imprisonment and Rs2 million fines. It also establishes the Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA) to regulate social media, investigate complaints, and remove unlawful content. The amendments also broaden the definition of social media platforms.

Journalists, accompanied by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman staged a walkout of the Senate gallery amid the passage of the amendments, and opposition members tore copies of the Bill in protest. PTI Senator Shibli Faraz criticised the lack of judicial capacity to handle fake news cases.

Separately, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar tabled the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill (DNPB) 2025 after it was earlier approved by the Senate Committee on IT on 28 January. Just like PECA, DNPB was also quickly approved by majority vote amid objections. Members of the opposition raised concerns over lack of consultation leading up to the Senate meeting. JUIF Senator Kamran Murtaza accused the government of undermining provincial autonomy and centralising authority in Islamabad.

Both pieces of legislation now only require the President’s assent to be enacted as laws.

January 28, 2025 - Comments Off on Senate approves PECA Amendments amidst opposition uproar

Senate approves PECA Amendments amidst opposition uproar

Pakistan’s Senate formally approved the controversial amendments pertaining to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (2025) on 28 January. The recent development took place a day after the Senate Standing Committee on Interior approved the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on Monday, 27 January amidst public outcry over the changes made without stakeholder input. The bill will now be sent to the President for formal approval before it becomes an act, a merely ceremonial process. The proposed PECA amendments include three years imprisonment for spreading fake news, creation of a social media protection authority for regulating online content, as well as the creation of a new investigation agency called the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency.  The highly debated and criticised amendments to PECA were fast-tracked through the National Assembly last week.

Throughout recent weeks, and especially in the last week, journalists, human rights defenders, civil society, and the opposition protested these controversial amendments proposed to the country’s cyber crime laws, which threaten to curtail freedom of expression and promote mass censorship and surveillance by the State. Last week’s protests culminated in members of the opposition raising slogans and banging desks, and journalists staging an organised walk-out from the press gallery during the Friday Senate hearing. The Senate committee (Interior) meeting held on Monday also featured opposition from journalists present, whereas the Chair of Senate Committee on Interior Faisal Saleem Rehman in his opening remarks claimed that the Senate committee had not received any written feedback, concerns or comments from any journalist body. The sole opposition to the amendments from political parties in this meeting came from the JUIF’s Senator Kamran Murtaza. Senator Irfan Siddiqui of PML-N downplayed concerns about the amendments, stating there was “no need to fear” the changes. While criticising the lack of consultation with journalists before the bill, he assured that if the law is misused against the media, he would stand with journalists.