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Express Tribune
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
LHC questions PECA Act as journalists, politicians cry foul
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed authorities to submit by June 3 a detailed report of all First Information Reports (FIRs) registered under the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025 (PECA). Justice Farooq Haider issued the directive while hearing a series of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of several provisions of the newly enforced PECA Amendment Act. Petitioners, including Rana Azeem, Secretary General of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Malik Ahmad Bachar, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, have argued that the amendments infringe upon fundamental rights and democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan. The petitions name the Federation of Pakistan, the Ministry of Interior, the Government of Punjab, and the Home Department as respondents. The petitioners have requested the court to declare the amendments null and void, alleging they are politically motivated and intended to suppress journalists and curtail freedom of expression. They contend that the PECA Amendment Act, 2025passed by both houses of Parliament and signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardarirepresents a dramatic expansion of government control over digital expression. As per the petitions, vague language and severe penalties in the law have fostered an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship, especially among journalists.
Express Tribune
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PECA is a bland act, says Fazl
ISLAMABAD: Leaders of the opposition party fired a broadside against the recently-enacted Prevention of Electronic Crimes Amendment Act (Peca), terming it a law to gag the media and usurping the people's fundamental right of freedom of expression. Addressing a seminar on 'Challenges Facing the Media in Pakistan', organised by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman termed PECA act a bland act. Fazl said that the government should not make a code of conduct for journalists, rather it should be prepared by the journalists themselves. He added that every dictator had violated the sanctity of the Constitution, democracy, and parliament. Speaking at the seminar, Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that fake people had been brought to parliament, who were only taking orders and not representing the people. He praised the efforts of Fazl in the passage of a balanced 26th Constitutional Amendment. He added that even if the current government withdrew the Peca Act, it won't be acceptable. He said that the movement against the government should not stop. The Peca Act, he said, was brought to eliminate fake news and asked what the remedy was when the government lied to the people. Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that one pillar of the legislature fell, when parliamentarians were picked up in the night. All the amendments that had been passed were not possible had the political parties were not hypocritical. "We will fight for the rights of the people and we will succeed. This parliament has lost its worth, the government has collapsed, and the last pillar, journalism, has also been attacked through PECA. They want this society to become deaf and dumb," he added.
Express Tribune
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Media rights under threat
Listen to article Pakistan is once again gaining the attention of foreign media - and for negative reasons. This time foreign media is accusing the Pakistani government of media strangulation. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has called on overseas Pakistanis to protest globally against the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2024. Media rights organisations claim that the PECA (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2024 would be the last nail in the coffin of an already dead media. Yes, I also believe that media in Pakistan is dead because what is being produced and provided to consumers could be anything but journalistic content. Wishes of anchors are portrayed as news, allegations are called facts, insulting anybody is considered professionalism, and hatemongering against the state is called a valid accountability measure against state institutions. How could media survive in these circumstances that have led the journalistic scene in Pakistan over the last 20 years? As a researcher in the field of Communication Philosophy, I have consistently called out the hybrid media-persons who are ruling TV screens and Op-Ed pages for not having any background in media studies and thus not following media ethics. Placing three cameras in studios inviting four guests free of cost and producing an hour-long show every hour between 7pm and 10pm is a lucrative business, with 'the more the slurs, the more the rating' being the mantra. Political parties use the same hybrid journalists against each other as soon as they come into power in this so-called democratic electoral process. That has been the Pakistani media scene for the last 20 years. Media rights organisations never reprimand absurd media-persons for their unethical media practices and now the same organisations have suddenly joined hands to protect media rights from this monster of their own creation. Does only media have the right to dignity and self-preservation in Pakistan? What about the politicians, judges, civil servants, and military officials who have been abused, insulted and defamed under the pretence of true journalism? Has any other media rights organisation ever taken any action against any media-person spreading unverified defamatory material against government employees, politicians, and state institutions as a household journalistic practice? Are we aware of the damage caused by these decades of unchecked, unverified fearmongering that they pass as journalism in Pakistan? Amidst all these malpractices, there might still be hope for ethical journalistic practices in Pakistan, for there are those that still follow media ethics where news gathering and reporting still follow the rule of accuracy, objectivity, and transparency; where editing and production of paper still go through professional editors who protect the privacy of others, get consent if mentioning someone as an official source, follow rule of balance and diversity when deciding which stories to run and how to present them. They avoid spreading verificatory content and only share verifiable content with their consumers taking the foremost responsibility to keep this content credible, unbiased, and reliable. My experience in Europe over the last 12 years has taught me one vital rule - communication must not have any factor of insult and defamation of anybody around you. In Europe, you cannot get away with insulting anybody or defaming any individual or institution. Insult and defamation are criminal acts all over Europe. In Pakistan, insult is not considered a crime, and defaming anybody has become the only tool in the toolbox of media-persons. If the PECA Act can ensure that nobody can get away with abusing, insulting and defaming any individual in mainstream media and social media then what is the harm in it? It will just put some extra financial burden on media houses to train their employees and teach them media ethics and media laws because 'a free-for-all free fall' cannot be the answer anymore.
Times of Oman
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Pakistab: Journalist Union challenges controversial Peca law in IHC, calls it attack on media freedom
Islamabad : Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) filed a lawsuit in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday against the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Peca law). PFUJ President Afzal Butt, who described the act as an assault on media freedom, brought the complaint via Advocate Imran Shafique according to a report by Geo News. "The Peca (Amendment) Act is unconstitutional and illegal, hence, the court should conduct a judicial review on it," the plea read as cited by Geo News. The opposition parties, journalists, and media outlets criticized the lack of consultations and the terms of the Peca law, which was already problematic after the ruling coalition swiftly passed the controversial modifications from the National Assembly and the Senate. In the petition, the journalists' organization said that the Peca (Amendment) 2025 expanded governmental control and curtailed free speech as reported by Geo News. According to the report, the Peca law also violates Articles 19 and 19(A) of the Constitution. It argued that the statute ought to be suspended as a result. "The Peca (Amendment) gave the government unlimited censorship powers. Criminalising fake news without due process is unconstitutional and a violation of the media freedom," it maintained as cited by Geo News. According to the PFUJ, the law violated both Pakistani digital rights and international human rights. Shafique claimed that because the government aimed to stifle free speech, the law limited the freedom of the media. "There is no clear procedure to deal with fake information. The police can arrest anyone at any time under a cognisable offence," he said, adding that it would take him three to four years in courts for his defence if implicated in an offence as reported by Geo News. New definitions, the creation of regulatory and investigative agencies, and harsher punishments for spreading "false" information are all included in the law, which has already gone into effect after President Asif Ali Zardari's approval. In addition to a fine of up to Rs2 million, the new changes reduced the penalty for disseminating "fake information" online to three years. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMPRA), and the Social Media Protection Tribunal were also suggested to be established by the new revisions. Additionally, it said that anyone "aggrieved by fake and false information" might contact the authority to have the information removed or their access blocked, and the authority would grant their request within 24 hours as reported by Geo News. According to the new amendments, the authority may also mandate that any social media platform sign up for its services in any way and on the payment of any applicable fees.
Express Tribune
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PFUJ challenges PECA amendments in IHC
Listen to article The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court challenging the recent amendments to the country's cybercrime law, calling for them to be struck down as 'unconstitutional.' The Pakistan Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, enacted on January 29, introduces provisions that make the dissemination of "fake or false" information a criminal offence, punishable by up to three years in prison, without a clear definition of what constitutes "fake or false" news. Journalists and digital rights experts have expressed concern over the lack of consultation during the drafting of the bill, arguing that it stifles public scrutiny and infringes on fundamental rights. They also pointed to the broad powers granted to government bodies under the amendments to regulate online content, which could lead to increased censorship. The amendments establish four new government bodies with the authority to block and remove online content based on vague criteria, prompting human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to raise concerns about potential violations of international human rights law. The PFUJ petition to the court argues that the amended law violates constitutional guarantees, including due process and fair trial rights. It seeks to prevent the government from using "coercive powers" against journalists under the new law, listing several government bodies as respondents, including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Information, and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Under the amendments, a new Social Media Protection Tribunal will be formed with government-appointed members, raising concerns about the independence of the body. Another body, the Social Media Protection and Regulation Authority, will be able to order the removal or blocking of content deemed "against the ideology of Pakistan" or "fake or false," as well as impose conditions on social media companies. The amendments were introduced amid increasing concerns over the crackdown on digital speech in Pakistan, including frequent internet shutdowns and throttling of networks. The government has also been working on implementing a national firewall, despite denials that the moves are aimed at censorship.
