Islamabad / Lahore:
On Wednesday, President Asif Ali Zardari gave his consent to controversial amendments to the country’s cybercrime laws, despite calls from journalists and media organizations to slow down the bill.
This decision one day occurred after the Senate passed the 2016 electronic prevention of electronic prevention (PECA), provoking national manifestations of media workers who said that the law was a disguised tab.
A press release published by the Presidency confirmed that Zardari had signed the draft law on the prevention of electronic crimes (amendment), as well as the Pakistan Nation Pakistan bill and the National Commission on the bill status of women (amendment).
The signing followed the allegations of the Association of Parliamentary Journalists (ARP) earlier on Wednesday than the President had accepted his request – transmitted by the top of the politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman – to delay the bill.
“The president, at the request of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, interrupted the bill for a while until Pra Pakistan sends his suggestions,” the PRA said.
However, in accordance with the Constitution, the president can return a bill to parliament once, but if he is sent to him a second time, his assent is deemed granted even if he does not sign it within ten days.
According to the PRA, a delegation from the association met Fazl, who then contacted President Zardari. Fazl expressed its solidarity with the concerns of PRA concerning the approval of the bill “without consultations”.
The head of Jui-F would have relayed the concerns of the PRA delegation and its president, Usman Khan, to the president.
He strongly urged Zardari “not to immediately sign the PECA amendment bill”, stressing that “journalists across the country have opposed certain sections” and calling for these concerns to be treated.
The PRA press release also said that Zardari assured that Fazl “full cooperation” and promised that consultations would be held between PRA and Interior Minister Mohin Naqvi concerning the bill.
Peca challenged in LHC
The PECA Amendment Act 2025 was challenged before the High Court of Lahore (LHC), with concerns raised on its impact on freedom of expression and the freedoms of the press.
A brief request challenged the bill on the modification of the PECA 2025, asking the court to declare several of its unconstitutional provisions to be incompatible with various articles of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973.
The petition was deposited by Jaffar Bin Yar, member of the Lahore press club, by the member of the Lahore Press club, through his lawyer, the lawyer Nadeem Sarwar. The advocacy appoints the Pakistan Electoral Commission (ECP), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Ministry of Law, Division of the Cabinet and Ministry of Information and Telecommunications Technology as respondents.
The petition argues that the National Assembly accelerated the approval of the bill for modifying the PECA last week by suspending its own rules, bypassing the necessary control.
The petitioner maintains that in the past, PECA has been used as a tool to silence dissent and that new penalties will further erode the already limited freedoms of the country.
The petition also claims that the modifications were introduced without consultation with the stakeholders concerned, including the media organizations, violating constitutional protections for freedom of expression and expression.
Calling the PECA amendment Unconstitutional law, the petitioner urged the court to attack it and suspend all the actions under the law until a final verdict is rendered.
The petitioner argued that the bill had been presented without any consultation or discussion with the stakeholders concerned, including the media and journalists.
He argued that the haste with which the bill had been precipitated through the lower chamber of the Parliament eroded public confidence and raised serious concerns concerning the intention behind the amendments, in particular their impact on the rights guaranteed by the Constitution such as freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
He argued that the modifications were disproportionate, not transparent and detrimental to freedom of expression. The imposition of imprisonment and fines, he argued, was excessive and seemed designed to silence the dissident voices and suppress critical journalism rather than to fight against disinformation.
“PECA amendments are a new self -censorship tool,” said the petition.
The petitioner also argued that the bill had been adopted without consultation or debate and that the modifications widen the previously available powers of the PTA by creating the authority for regulatory and protection of social media.
These provisions, he argued, grants the authorities the power to block and delete the content according to waves, violating the right to freedom of expression and not meeting the proportionality and the international necessity of Human rights.
The changes also introduce a criminal offense for having disseminated “false information”, bearing a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment and a fine.
The petitioner underlined the concerns concerning the vague and ambiguous language used to define this offense, warning that it could be used to suffocate the expression online, in particular given the history of the PECA used against the voices dissidents.
Bar to protest
Meanwhile, the association of the Lahore bar announced today a general meeting of the Chamber to discuss the opposition to the ordinance of the PECA and the 26th constitutional amendment.
Following the meeting, lawyers will organize a protest march in Charring Cross in a demonstration of challenge against controversial legislation.
The secretary of the Bar of the Supreme Court, Salman Mansoor, should attack the collection, showing alarms on the legal consequences of the Peca amendment and its potential use against journalists and dissident voices.
