KARACHI: Calling it a ‘black law’, journalists and civil rights activists have unanimously rejected the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Amendment (Peca) 2025, which, they said, is aimed at suppressing the globally recognised the right to freedom of expression protected by the Constitution of Pakistan as well as international accords.

They were speaking at a consultation organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Thursday in collaboration with the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) at the Karachi Press Club.

Columnist, academic and social activist Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan said Peca was another tactic to control the media. “We have inherited such laws from the British era,” he said while reminding of the Press Publication Act of 1963. “The PFUJ stood up against that law. It could be dissolved after much struggle in 1988,” he said.

He said that earlier, the PTI government had also tried bringing a Peca Ordinance in 2016, which the media had challenged. He also said the Peca committee members were to be nominated or appointed by the government while the PFUJ would not be consulted for it.

HRCP consultation terms the amendment a serious threat to freedom of expression, digital rights of citizens

“It is said that Peca would be an autonomous body but that is only on the surface,” he said. “They say that it only concerns social media. But all print and electronic media news are also uploaded on social media,” Dr Tauseef pointed out.

Senior journalist Mazhar Abbas said that all such laws in Pakistan seemed like anti-people laws. “Even the Anti-Terrorism Act, which looked fine in the beginning, was later used for targeting political activists,” he said. “The right to know is a human right. Peca goes against that,” he said.

“The media is important because it mirrors society. But when you control the media, you also stop people from gaining awareness. For the people’s right to know, this law must go,” he said while also reminding how the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), which was brought in at first as just a licensing and regulatory authority, now controls the electronic media. “Peca is also an extension of such laws made to control the discerning voice,” he pointed out.

Mahnaz Rahman of the Aurat Foundation said that there was a need for that child from the story ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ to raise his finger and raise his voice to point out the invisible controlling factor in Peca. “The freedom of the press must not be throttled,” she added.

Journalist Shahab Mahmood lamented the fact that journalists were discouraged from asking questions. “Some have even lost jobs for questioning objectively,” he said.

Former KPC president Saeed Sarbazi said the Peca Act was passed by the parliament without the consultation of the stakeholders.

“This same act was rejected by the Islamabad High Court when the PTI tried to have it passed,” he said. “But after the 26th Amendment, don’t expect relief from the judiciary. Sadly, with such laws coming up, we can say that we don’t have a democracy,” he added.

Academic Dr Asghar Ali Dashti also said that post-colonial Pakistan was getting the same old laws of the British in a new package. “The editors’ institution is dead anyway and there is now only the social media where we often hear voices raised against wrongdoings. But now we have Peca to silence those voices, too,” he said.

KUJ president Tahir Hasan Khan said that after coming out of the parliament where the Peca Act was passed, the parliamentarians themselves were not sure about what it actually was. “We need to engage with the political parties which may have unknowingly passed this law,” he said. “They should be made to understand that this very law can also come back to bite them,” he added.

HRCP chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt said that there was no doubt that Peca was a black law. “It is not just a journalists’ issue, it is a political issue and also a labour issue. Actually, it is the issue of all those who stand up for the truth. When you are not allowed to question, then what else is left? Such acts will take us to political ruin,” he concluded.

Later, the representatives of the HRCP, KUJ and other organisations adopted a resolution, which says that the right to freedom of expression includes freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference. Freedom of expression is imperative to democracy, stability and progress.

“This forum notes that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2025, passed hastily by the National Assembly and Senate, and endorsed by the president, poses a serious threat to the freedom of expression and digital rights of the citizens.” they said.

The participants demanded immediate withdrawal of Peca, including the amendments made to it. “We pledge to resist all attempts to muzzle the citizens’ freedom of expression and the right of access to information. We call upon civil society organisations, political workers, rights activists, labour and student groups to jointly struggle for defending human rights against any attempt to curtail them through disproportionate coercive measures under various pretexts.”

The forum also emphasises that aversion of various authorities to promptly and completely share information with the citizens regarding issues affecting their lives prompt speculation that may lead to misinformation, thus underscoring the need for unfettered journalistic coverage of public issues.“ the resolution read.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2025