K-P Assembly rejects PECA

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly witnessed a day of uproar on Friday as journalists and lawmakers joined forces to reject the controversial amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and the 'Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2024'.

The assembly passed a unanimous resolution denouncing the laws, while journalists staged a fiery protest outside the assembly hall.

The session, presided over by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, began on a serene note with the recitation of the Quran but quickly descended into dissent. Led by KhUJ President Kashifuddin Syed, Press Club President M Riaz and PRA President Gulzar Muhammad Khan, journalists marched out of the assembly chanting slogans against the "oppressive laws".

The protestors gathered at the media corner outside the assembly.

Addressing the gathering, Kashifuddin asserted that journalists did not see themselves as above the law but demanded any regulatory framework be developed in consultation with media organisations.

"The way PECA was steamrolled into law shows that this assembly has been reduced to nothing more than a rubber stamp," he lamented.

Similarly, M Riaz, asserted that the journalists' community has never compromised on press freedom, "nor will we in the future. We will throw such oppressive and draconian laws back in their faces".

The journalists called on the federal government to immediately withdraw amendments to PECA, which they described as "unjust and undemocratic."

In an attempt to calm the storm, Speaker Swati tasked Provincial Minister for Revenue Nazir Abbasi with negotiating with the journalists. Following discussions, the protestors agreed to return to the assembly session.

Earlier, journalists had also staged a protest in front of the Peshawar Press Club, demanding the repeal of PECA and the Digital Nation Pakistan Act.

During the assembly session, ruling party member Shafiullah Jan presented a resolution rejecting the controversial laws. "This assembly supports freedom of the press and freedom of expression and rejects the PECA Act and the Digital Nation Pakistan Act," he said.

"We stand in solidarity with journalists and condemn any action that restricts press freedom."

The resolution demanded that the federal government withdraw the "controversial, oppressive and undemocratic amendments" immediately. It was passed unanimously by the assembly, sending a strong message of defiance against what many see as an attack on press freedom.