Senate panel urged to hear PECA concerns

ISLAMABAD:

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of media organisations has written a letter to the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, expressing its reservations on the proposed amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA).

In the letter addressed to the committee chairman, Senator Faisal Saleem Rahman, JAC noted that the amendments to be introduced through the PECA (Amendment) Bill, 2025 can have significant implications for freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

These amendments, it said, have been introduced without any consultation or discussion with relevant stakeholders, including media and journalist organizations.

It said JAC—a representative body of all media organisations: PFUJ, CPNE, AEMEND, APNS and PBA—is not against the enactment of laws that regulate media in a manner consistent with democratic norms.

"However, the process through which this amendment is being advanced—hastily and without meaningful engagement with the stakeholders—contradicts the principles of fairness and the spirit of democracy.

"Such an approach erodes trust and raises serious concerns about the intent behind the bill, particularly its impact on constitutionally guaranteed rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of the press.''

JAC said legislation of such importance must be shaped through a transparent, participatory process, ensuring that the concerns, objections, and suggestions of all stakeholders are taken into account.

"Passing this law in its current form, without addressing these issues, will inevitably be seen as an attempt to stifle dissent and curtail freedoms that are guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan, which is neither acceptable nor justifiable in a democratic society.

JAC urged the committee chairman to give the representatives of JAC a hearing before the committee debates the amendment bill. "We would like to put up our serious concerns on certain aspects of this bill which seriously impede freedom of expression," it added.