By: Asad Iqbal Butt
At a consultation held earlier today by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), participants deplored the passage of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) (Amendment) Act 2025 on the grounds that it would stifle freedom of expression further, not only for the press but also for ordinary social media users.
Attending the consultation were Mian Rauf Atta, president of the SCBA, senior SCBA lawyer Abid Saqi, PFUJ president Azfal Butt, RIUJ president Tariq Ali Virk, RIUJ general secretary Asif Bashir Chaudhry, WAJAH founder Fauzia Kulsoom Rana and PPP senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro. Journalists Hamid Mir and Matiullah Jan, HRCP Council members Nasir Zaidi, Farhatullah Babar and Nida Aly, and former HRCP chairperson Afrasiab Khattak also spoke on the law.
The consultation was moderated by HRCP co-chair Munizae Jahangir and included presentations on the law by Bolo Bhi director Usama Khilji, AGHS representative Ans Waqi, and lawyer Salahuddin Ahmed. Participants observed with great disappointment that those political parties that had condemned previous iterations of PECA had lost no time in passing the PECA (Amendment) Act. They demanded that all such parties clarify their position on freedom of expression and censured them for capitulating to the establishment in this matter.
Also read: PECA Amendment: A Threat to Constitutional Rights and Press Freedom, DIGIMAP
While participants acknowledged that fake news posed numerous risks, they said that such consequences must be balanced against the constitutional right to freedom of expression. Vague and over-broad definitions of ‘fake news’ could moreover be used to suppress dissent. The fact that the law now allowed any person to file a complaint without necessarily being an aggrieved party left it open to wide misuse.
The consultation concluded with a resolution to form a grand coalition for freedom of expression, including the PFUJ, SCBA, HRCP, Digital Media Alliance for Pakistan, Freedom Network, IRADA, WAJAH, Bolo Bhi and the Anchors Association of Pakistan.
Coalition for freedom of expression formed in response to PECA law
