KARACHI: While rights activists, journalists and members of the civil society on Saturday agreed that there was an urgent need to address the country’s deteriorating law and order situation, they declared that internet services must not be disturbed on the pretext of security.

Condemning the introduction of the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2024, they said the law empowers the civil and armed forces to detain individuals on mere suspicion and without civilian or judicial interference which is tantamount to legalising enforced disappearances and use of internment centres.

The Karachi Press Club (KPC) in collaboration with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), different factions of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) organised a meeting to discuss the Anti-Terrorism Act (Amendment) Bill 2024, the internet blockades, bans on X (formerly Twitter) and VPN.

Several members of the civil society travelled from Islamabad and Lahore for the meeting.

Activists voice concerns over proposed amendment to anti-terror law that would legalise up to three-month preventive detention

Journalist and HRCP Co-Chair Munizae Jahangir apprised the meeting that ATA (Amendment) Bill 2024 will authorise the state to detain individuals for ‘inquiry’ for up to three months merely based on ‘credible information’ or ‘reasonable suspicion’ without judicial interference on the presumption that they pose a threat to national security or public order.

“The government thinks that they won’t get any response regarding this matter from civil society as it thinks that we are a spent force now. But we, the civil society, including journalists and lawyers, must come together to protest,” she said.

Writer, poet and HRCP Secretary General Harris Khalique said that it is time to join forces with like-minded powers. “We need to hold consultative meetings with the media, unions, politicians, etc, regarding what is going on. We need to join forces,” he said.

Advocate Habib Tahir said that there is no longer any internet in many districts of Balochistan and press clubs in the province are also being closed down.

HRCP Chairman Asad Iqbal Butt said that these new laws to curb people’s voices and freedom can also be used against the political parties who may be enjoying power at the moment. “They don’t realise that their laws can turn around to bite them, too, like the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act [PECA],” he said.

Poet and columnist Nasir Zaidi said that there is also talk within the corridors of power about a Data Control Act, too.

“All these laws are being planned to control the press. We are facing the worst media onslaught,” he said. “They are also giving legal cover to enforced disappearances through law. The HRCP is against state brutality and fascism. We must fight back,” he added.

KPC President Saeed Sarbazi said that the ATA Bill and also the bans on X in Pakistan along VPN’s coming under target are serious issues.

“Now we have the Council of Islamic Ideology also calling VPN un-Islamic. It is like a tightening noose around people’s freedom, including the freedom of expression,” he said. “You already have hotels in Karachi to not allow rooms to people who have FIRs registered against them in Balochistan. Recently, a senior journalist from Quetta was not allowed room anywhere near the Thar coal plant,” he said.

Aijaz Ahmed, president of one of the factions of the KUJ, suggested drafting a letter from civil society to be sent to political party leaders.

The secretary general of PFUJ-Dastoor, A.H. Khanzada, said that when the political parties and politicians are down, they look to the media for support but this situation changes when they are back in power.

“Then they come after the media with media curbs,” he said. “The media is the biggest champion of democracy but when the politicians are in power they forget who supported them through thick and thin. They want to please media house owners then,” he pointed out.

Tahir Hasan Khan, president of another KUJ faction, said that they have always fought and will carry on their fight for press freedom.

The meeting was also attended by Ghazi Salahuddin, Mujahid Barelvi, Salima Hashmi, Nazish Attaullah, Akbar Khan, Dr Tauseef Ahmed, Lubna Nadeem, Sohail Sangi, Fouzia Kulsoom Rana, Khursheed Abbasi, Saleem Jabbar, Lubna Jerar, Aziz Sanghur, Riaz Sohail and Liaqat Kashmiri.

They were of unanimous view that in the wake of recent upsurge in militancy and significant loss of life, there was an urgent need to address the country’s deteriorating security and law and order.

However, they made it clear that internet services must not be disturbed on the pretext of security.

They said that preventive detention, as suggested in the ATA (Amendment) Bill, is not the solution as such powers are liable to be abused.

They said that the grounds do not meet the threshold for the derogation of rights under Article 4, Paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. As such, the amendment is open-ended rather than referring to temporary or exceptional.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2024