Journalist organizations across Pakistan have strongly opposed recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), expressing concern over the lack of consultation and its implications for press freedom.
A joint action committee, comprising Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), Association of Electronic Media Editors and Directors News Agency (AMEND) and the Association of Pakistan Broadcasters. (PBA), issued a statement rejecting the amendments and demanding their immediate withdrawal.
The committee emphasized that the changes to the PECA Act were introduced without consulting media stakeholders, a move it described as unacceptable.
The PFUJ separately called the amendments misleading, with President Afzal Butt and General Secretary Arshad Ansari calling them unnecessary and a violation of constitutional rights, as they claimed the amendments were a calculated effort to suppress the media. , social media platforms and the journalism community in general.
In its statement, the Karachi Press Club (KPC) also expressed strong reservations and condemned the amendments as a threat to freedom of expression.
Club President Fazil Jamili and Secretary Sohail Afzal Khan highlighted that Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of expression.
They criticized the government for not consulting stakeholders before passing the amendments and demanded that the law be repealed.
The KPC proposed that the government empower mainstream media to provide accurate information in real time and combat misinformation on social media through inclusive legislation involving all stakeholders.
The recently passed amendments, introduced in the National Assembly under a complementary agenda, propose establishing a Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA) with powers to remove online content, restrict access to prohibited material and penalize people who share such content .
The amendments redefine “social media platforms” to include tools and software used to access them and expand the scope of the law to websites, applications and communication channels.
Additionally, the amendments suggest dissolving the FIA Cybercrime Wing and replacing it with stricter sanctions. For example, sharing deleted material from parliamentary or provincial assemblies on social media could result in up to three years in prison and a fine of Rs 2 million.
Journalists protested against the bill during its presentation in the National Assembly and left the press gallery in a show of defiance.
The KPC and other organizations have called for the immediate repeal of the “black law” and have announced plans to decide their future course of action through consultations.
The amendments have sparked significant backlash, with critics calling them an attack on freedom of the press and expression, and urging the government to involve media bodies and civil society representatives before implementing any legislation affecting rights. digital and press.
