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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 29, 2025 - Comments Off on Journalist files case against PECA Amendments in Lahore High Court

Journalist files case against PECA Amendments in Lahore High Court

The formal passage into law of amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) has been challenged in the Lahore High Court by a Pakistani journalist, arguing that the amendments are a threat to the “constitutional right to free speech”.

The legal challenge filed by Jafar Bin Yar – and which includes the government, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and other parties as respondents – asserted that the PECA Amendments Bill 2025 had been introduced  in and passed by the National Assembly without key stakeholders, such as civil society organisations and journalists, being consulted.

Mr. Bin Yar’s legal petition requested the nullification of the newly passed PECA Amendment Act, and that any actions taken post-passage be suspended until a final decision in his petition has been issued.

January 29, 2025 - Comments Off on President Zardari Signs PECA Amendments into law

President Zardari Signs PECA Amendments into law

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has signed into law controversial amendments to the the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), in the face of numerous protests and calls of condemnation from journalists, political parties and international human rights organisations such as Amnesty International. The presidential assent – which also included another controversial law, the Digital National Pakistan Bill - came on the heels of the rapid approval of the PECA amendments by both the National Assembly and the Senate. The International Federation of Journalists said in a statement that:

"The amendments to Pakistan’s draconian PECA represent a transparent attempt to further tighten control over digital expression and internet freedom under the guise of curbing misinformation. By extending government jurisdiction online, broadening censorship powers, and imposing penalties for vaguely defined offences, this legislation threatens journalists, activists, and the public’s right to information. The IFJ calls on President Asif Ali Zardari to swiftly reject the bill and ensure the constitutional right to freedom of expression is upheld.”

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists said that they protest the passage of the amendments, and would  “stage a grand sit in front of the Parliament House in Islamabad on February 14, 2025”.

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.

January 23, 2025 - Comments Off on Journalists, Opposition walk out of NA as controversial PECA amendments passed

Journalists, Opposition walk out of NA as controversial PECA amendments passed

Pakistan’s National Assembly has passed controversial amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), to which journalists and members of the opposition PTI party, who both walked out of the National Assembly, walked out in protest. These amendments to the PECA have been condemned since they were first leaked, not just as the overly broad language could be interpreted to further attack freedom of expression, but because drafts of the bill had not been shared or discussed with stakeholders, which has been heavily criticised by activists and journalists. The bill will now be sent to the Pakistani Senate for a final approval.

The government has for several months claimed that the new provisions are necessary to tackle “fake news” or disinformation, with people accused of such to be “punished with imprisonment which may extend upto three years or with fine which may extend to Rs2m or with both.”

In addition to proposing the creation of a Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMPRA), the amendments have expanded the definition of “social media platforms” to include the “tools” or software used to access said platforms. This expansion of the definition of “social media platforms”, even before the bill’s passing, was widely regarded as a vehicle to provide legal cover to future attempts to ban “unregistered” local VPNs – a legal opinion by the Ministry of Law had thwarted previous VPN ban attempts.

Nighat Dad, Digital Rights Foundation’s Executive Director, said that the passing of the amendments came as a “shock”, and that civil society organisations and other stakeholders had not been shown any drafts, with the result that the final version “suddenly came out of nowhere”. In addition to remarking that the bill should not have been passed owing to the “broad and ambiguous” powers it gave to authorities – already a serious  and ongoing concern about the PECA – Ms. Dad also pointed out its definitions concerning “false and fake information” were suspect – notable given that global authorities have not been able to provide consistent and universally applicable definitions themselves.

January 22, 2025 - Comments Off on PML-N, PPP Agree On PECA Amendments

PML-N, PPP Agree On PECA Amendments

Two of Pakistan’s ruling parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), have come together on amending the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), despite disagreements especially with regards to social media control – a controversial point of contention and penalties. As per proposed legislation under this agreement, social media usage will be regulated via a new government authority to be established.

 

The new authority will have the responsibility of determining what constitutes disinformation or “fake news”, and will have the power to impose penalties for disseminating disinformation – a maximum of three years in prison, and fines. The length of the sentence was one of the key points that the PPP and PML-N strongly disagreed upon, as the latter had originally proposed sentence of ten years. The new authority will have powers similar to, according to ARY News, “the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).”

January 21, 2025 - Comments Off on Interior Ministry to oversee PECA

Interior Ministry to oversee PECA

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.

December 15, 2024 - Comments Off on Govt expected to push amendments to expand PECA powers this week

Govt expected to push amendments to expand PECA powers this week

The Pakistan government is pushing to have amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) tabled “as early as” this week (December 16-20), that would create a new authority body with controversially broad powers to block access to social media and to specific online content. As reported upon earlier in December, the amendments are part of the government’s strategy to tackle what it regards as “fake news”.

The proposed PECA amendments include the creation of a Pakistan Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA), which would, according to Human Rights Watch, “be authorised to prosecute people for sharing or accessing prohibited content, and take action against social media platforms that host such content.”

In addition to the creation of DRPA – to replace the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) concerning the monitoring of social media content - the amendments also introduce language to expand upon and redefine terms. For instance, the term “Social media platform”now includes the use of any software or tools that would be used to access social media platforms. The redefining of “Social media” points to the government potentially giving itself legal power to block tools such VPNs, after the PTA ban on VPNs was blocked by an opinion from the Ministry of Law.

December 14, 2024 - Comments Off on Journalists, vloggers among 150 booked under PECA for “maligning security agencies”

Journalists, vloggers among 150 booked under PECA for “maligning security agencies”

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered cases against 150 individuals, including journalists and vloggers, “for their involvement in maligning security agencies over the Nov 26 incident”, referring to the controversy surrounding the number of deaths at a protest march by PTI supporters in late November 2024. According to the FIA, Harmeet Singh, a Pakistani Sikh journalist, had ostensibly promoted a “false narrative” concerning the four day-long protest, and claimed that he had incited violence against the state. He and others were being booked under Sections 9 (“Glorification of an Offence”), 10 (“Cyber Terrorism”), 11 (“Hate Speech”) and 24 (“Cyber Stalking”) of the PECA.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the 150 arrests, calling them “a blatant attack on press freedom and freedom of expression in Pakistan and depicts the authoritarian mindset of the so-called elected government.” The PFUJ stressed that it does not condone “fake news”, but that “due process” was vital when registering cases against journalists.

December 6, 2024 - Comments Off on Pakistan Army Chief calls for action against fake news, echoed by Minister for IT

Pakistan Army Chief calls for action against fake news, echoed by Minister for IT

Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, the Pakistan Army’s most senior ranking officer called on the government to take action against “pre-planned coordinated and premeditated propaganda” that are allegedly being spread “by certain political elements as an attempt to drive a wedge between the public & Armed Forces and institutions of Pakistan.” Speaking to senior officers of the armed forces at the 84th Formation Commanders' Conference, General Munir called for stringent laws to combat “fake news”, and the “unethical use of freedom of expression to spread polarization.”

 

A day later, the Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, briefed the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication and stated that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) would be amended to tackle “fake news”, echoing the concerns of General Munir and others. In response to a question raised by members of the committee pertaining to the proposed amendments,   she underscored that these  amendments were aimed at addressing “concerns related to fake news and online misinformation campaigns” and not intended to “restrict the internet” and the freedom of expression of citizens. The minister was also asked about the legal powers of the PTA or the government in regards to VPN shutdowns. The Minister downplayed concerns of the committee members on internet shutdowns, claiming that the issue had been “blown too much, but the government does not intend to take such extreme measures”.