Karachi / Islamabad:
Friday, a division bench of the High Court of the Sindh (SHC) asked for more arguments on the admissibility of a request against the law on the prevention of electronic crimes (PECA), while another petition has been filed Before the High Court of Islamabad (CIH) against legislation.
The SHC bench, led by chief judge Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, resumed the petition against the amendments of Peca. Lawyer Ali Tahir, the petitioner’s lawyer, informed the bench that they had challenged articles 2R and 26a of Peca.
The lawyer said that article 26a criminalized the transmission and reception of information by declaring it “false and false”. He added that the G and H sections of the act used the words “false, false and false” in a very vague way.
He declared that articles 2R and 26A were in violation of articles 19 and 19A and the fundamental rights given in the Constitution. He added that articles 19 and 19A of the Constitution granted each citizen the right to freedom of expression within reasonable limits.
The chief judge asked the lawyer what was the damage in the deletion of the illegal and reprehensible content of social media. Lawyer Ali Tahir replied that by virtue of PECA, authority would use “legal powers” to determine which content was reprehensible and should be deleted.
The chief judge also pointed out that what was wrong if an institution required respect for the laws of the country.
Lawyer Ali Tahir raised the issue of restrictions on certain social media platforms. He quoted the closure of X in Pakistan and said that journalists had been missing in the past. He said that after changes in PECA, their problems were multiplied.
The chief judge noted that the request in court did not concern the disappearance of journalists. He asked the lawyer to satisfy the court that this petition was eligible and adjourned the hearing until Monday.
