Judge Inam Amin Minhas of the High Court of Islamabad (IHC) heard several petitions on Monday requesting the cancellation of the Act on the modification of the prevention of electronic crimes (PECA).
The petitions were deposited by Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), eminent television anchors and journalists from the High Court of Islamabad (IHC).
The federal government submitted its written response to the Court.
A government lawyer said provincial governments had also been responded in the case. Lawyer Imran Shafiq told court that an initial objection raised by the registrar’s office had been resolved.
During the hearing, the IHC ordered petitioner lawyers to start presenting their arguments. The lawyer for the PFUJ, Dr. Yasir Aman Khan, opened the arguments by giving a historical context when the judge asked to provide the context first so that the Court can understand the case.
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“The PECA law was introduced in 2016,” said Dr. Yasir, adding that amendment 2025 has deleted several provisions of the original law and added news.
He noted that the amendment also establishes a council for social media complaints, expanding the scope of the law.
Judge Inam Amin Minhas asked the petitioners to clarify the modifications of the code of conduct, stressing what it previously involved and this has now been modified.
Peca amendment
Earlier this year, the National Assembly adopted a set of amendments to the Electronic Crimes Prevention Act (PECA) under an additional program, considerably expanding government authority to regulate online content and penalize digital offenses.
The 2025 PECA law (modification) included provisions for the formation of a digital rights protection authority (DRPA), which will be empowered to delete online content, restrict access to prohibited equipment and impose penalties on people who share such content.
The changes have also expanded the definition of “social media platforms” to encompass the tools and software used to access these platforms.
The revised law now extends its jurisdiction to include websites, applications and various communication channels. Within the framework of legislative changes, the FIA cybercrime wing must be dissolved and replaced by a stricter application framework.
Under the new rules, individuals sharing extensive documents from parliamentary or provincial assemblies on social networks could incur up to three years, as well as a fine of RS2 million.
