(Asghar Ali Mubarak)
ISLAMABAD (TNS) The President’s signature on the PECA Amendment Bill 2025 became a law amid journalists’ protests President Asif Ali Zardari has ratified the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) Amendment Bill 2025
On the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), the journalist community held protests across the country, including in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Quetta, against the controversial PECA Act Amendment Bill.
Journalist leaders rejected the amendment to the PECA Act and termed it an attack on freedom of the press.
Meanwhile, the journalist community also held a protest demonstration against the PECA Act Amendment Bill at the National Press Club, Islamabad. On this occasion, the speakers said that the cybercrime laws under the recent amendments are an attack on freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and other journalist organizations continued their protest at the National Press Club, Islamabad, after President Asif Ali Zardari signed the PECA Act Amendment Bill, while slogans were raised against the bill.
The journalist community participated in the Islamabad Press Club protest in large numbers, led by PFUJ President Afzal Butt, while the protesters raised banners and chanted slogans against the PECA Amendment Bill.
Anchor persons and officials of the National Press Club addressed the protest of the journalists and said that this law is not applicable to journalists but to everyone who has a mobile phone in their hands.
Addressing the protest of journalists, PFUJ President Afzal Butt said that Pakistan People’s Party is fighting for press freedom, while keeping the foundation of PPP, Bhutto fulfilled the promises made to PFUJ, Bhutto’s spirit must have trembled when Asif Zardari signed,
Afzal Butt further said that Pervez Musharraf banned all channels, at that time Benazir came to us and promised to support us, President Zardari give us a chance, we will tell him, we will tell him which clause is in conflict with the constitution and rights.
He said that the President would have objected to the bill and sent it back, today the PPP has disappointed us all, after this move of the President, they will call for a black day across the country,
The history and character of the Joint Action Committee will be kept in front of everyone, on the day of black day, black flags will be hoisted at press clubs, black armbands will be worn during the coverage of political events, and anchors will wear black armbands during the show.
Secretary General PFUJ Rana Azeem said in his statement that the truth reached the people through social media, fake news also came from social media, people were also humiliated through social media, we have been condemning fake news, it should be determined whether it is fake news.
Rana Azeem said that it is not right to bind the entire media through PECA, many things that used to be exposed now have to be saved, PECA Act is against freedom of the press, and the government had to back down from some issues due to social media.
On this occasion, journalist leader Asif Bashir Chaudhry, while addressing the protest of journalists after the approval of the PECA Act, said that PECA has been given the status of a law, through this act the government is creating four institutions, the officials of the institutions will be chosen by the government, the term of the positions is not even being specified.
Asif Bashir Chaudhry said that the four institutions are being formed by a committee of parliament, such a process has not been done at all, a journalist will be placed in a tribunal, the government will also select this journalist,
PFUJ believes that the regulation of social media is the need of the hour. RIUJ President Tariq Virk said that the government passed the bill, before that the PTI government was also bringing a bill, we have to do journalism, the government has to go, our journalists are affected by this bill, we were not consulted regarding this bill. Tariq Virk further said that the bill was not on the agenda of the assembly, the bill was passed overnight, the opposition members got angry after the approval of the controversial PECA Amendment Bill the other day, and they tore up copies of the agenda in protest, journalists also walked out of the press gallery. After being approved by the National Assembly by a majority vote last Thursday, the PECA Amendment Bill 2025 was presented in the Senate the next day, which was sent to the Standing Committee by the Chairman Senate. Apart from this, journalist organizations had condemned the PECA Amendment Bill in their separate statements. Federal Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain had said that the bill is not related to newspapers or TV, it will only deal with social media, journalists have no issue with this bill, this bill is not a Quranic scripture, it can be improved. He said that Shibli Faraz almost supported this bill, Shibli Faraz, the opposition leader from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the Upper House, said that journalists are forced to protest today due to concerns regarding their professional affairs, this bill was also passed by the Senate yesterday. The federal government had presented the PICA Act Amendment Bill 2025 in the National Assembly on January 22. The latest draft of changes in cybercrime laws, the ‘Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2025’, was presented in the National Assembly by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar. The President has signed the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Amendment Bill 2025. After the President’s signature, the PICA Act Amendment Bill 2025 has become a law. Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act Bill 2025 has added Section 26(A) to punish those who commit online ‘fake news’. The amendment bill states that whoever knowingly disseminates false information, or sends it to any other person, which is likely to cause fear or insecurity in the society, can be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, with a fine which may extend to Rs 2 million, or with both. The initial draft sent to the federal cabinet was heavily criticized by political parties and digital rights leaders, and some changes were suggested. These suggestions included that ‘only the aggrieved person can file a complaint and there should be a mechanism to determine whether the complainant was the aggrieved person or not.
In addition, it should also be determined in advance whether the complaint filed is a violation of the rights of the applicant or not. According to the PECA Act Amendment Bill 2025, the head office of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority will be in Islamabad, while offices will also be established in provincial capitals. According to the amendment bill, the authority will be authorized to register and cancel the registration of social media platforms, determine standards, while facilitating social media platforms and ensuring the protection and rights of users. In case of violation of the PECA Act, the authority will be authorized to take disciplinary action against the social media platform and issue instructions to the relevant institutions to remove illegal content from social media. According to the amendment bill, statements of banned institutions or individuals will not be uploaded on social media. Under the amendment, a Social Media Complaints Council will be established. The Social Media Complaints Council will consist of 5 members and one ex-officio member. In case the instructions are not implemented by the social media platform, the authority will approach the tribunal. The federal government will establish a Social Media Protection Tribunal to implement the amendment act. The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act Bill 2025 has added Section 26(A) to punish those who commit online ‘fake news’. The amendment bill states that whoever knowingly disseminates false information, or sends it to any other person, which is likely to cause fear or insecurity in the society, can be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, with a fine which may extend to Rs 2 million, or with both. The initial draft sent to the federal cabinet was heavily criticized by political parties and digital rights leaders, and some changes were suggested. These suggestions included that ‘only the aggrieved person can file a complaint and there should be a mechanism to determine whether the complainant was the aggrieved person or not.
In addition, it should also be determined in advance whether the complaint filed is a violation of the rights of the applicant or not. According to the PECA Act Amendment Bill 2025, the head office of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority will be in Islamabad, while offices will also be established in provincial capitals. According to the amendment bill, the authority will be authorized to register and cancel registration of social media platforms, determine standards, while facilitating social media platforms and ensuring the protection and rights of users. In case of violation of the PECA Act, the authority will be authorized to take disciplinary action against the social media platform and issue instructions to the relevant institutions to remove illegal content from social media. According to the amendment bill, statements of banned institutions or individuals will not be uploaded on social media. Under the amendment, a Social Media Complaints Council will be established. The Social Media Complaints Council will consist of 5 members and one ex-officio member. In case the social media platform fails to comply with the instructions, the authority will approach the tribunal. The federal government will establish a Social Media Protection Tribunal to implement the amendment act. It should be remembered that more than 250,000 digital media employees are working without proper legal protection, including issues such as adequate wages and a better working environment. On September 25, 2024, the Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (Irada) briefing on these observations claimed that the government has failed to reform labor laws in the transformation towards digital journalism, and the rights of digital journalists have been harmed due to lack of legal recognition. There is an urgent need for comprehensive laws to protect all journalists. The current law, ‘The Newspaper Employees Act (Necosa) 1973’, recognizes the status of journalists working in newspapers. Unfortunately, due to modern technology, print media is shrinking and journalists associated with digital media do not have legal protection. NECUSA also provides newspaper journalists with protection from immediate dismissal, however, journalists working on digital media do not have access to benefits such as social security and pension. This situation faced by journalists hinders them from performing their duties effectively. Due to the absence of laws, most broadcast and digital journalists are also deprived of various types of contracts with the parties. The report also described the ‘Wage Board’ established under NECUSA to determine the salaries of newspaper employees as inadequate. Grants have been given to 8 Wage Board Awards so far. The eighth award was decided in December 2019, which was published in March 2020 and came into effect in February 2020, however, it could not be implemented even after 5 years. The Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE), established in 1976 to implement the decisions of the Wage Board, also has similar shortcomings. In the last decade, the ITNE has disposed of 2,783 cases. The report said that the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021 recognizes people working in television and internet media as journalists and media professionals, but journalists in broadcast and digital media do not have adequate employment rights. The Protection of Journalists Act clearly states that it is the primary responsibility of media houses to provide protection to their journalists in this regard within a year. It should be noted that on May 9, 2024, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved an amendment to the PECA Act 2016 to regulate social media.
