Large scale protests were held across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), including Peshawar, on Saturday on the call of the Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) against the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), a law aimed at restricting press freedom in the country.
Journalists rejected the amended bill passed by the National Assembly and termed it an attack on press freedom.
In this regard, aside of Peshawar, demonstrations took place in the districts of Dir, Timergara, Dera, Wana, Jamrud, Upper Dir and others.
KhUJ members staged a protest outside the Peshawar Press Club (PPC) against the amendments to the PECA Act.
A large number of journalists, along with political leaders such as the Provincial President Awami National Party (ANP) Mian Iftikhar Hussain, General Secretary Arslan Khan, senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Ali Arbab, Irfan Saleem and other political figures participated in the protest demonstration.
The protest was led by KhUJ President Kashifuddin Syed and General Secretary Irshad Ali, with Peshawar PPC President M Riaz and General Secretary Tayyab Usman Awan also present.
The demonstrators wore black armbands and held banners and placards inscribed with slogans demanding press freedom and opposing the amended PECA Act.
The participants rejected the amended bill and said that legislation without consultation was not acceptable while any restriction on freedom of expression would not be tolerated.
Addressing the protest, Kashifuddin Syed, Irshad Ali, M Riaz, Shamim Shahid and other speakers said that the amendments made to the PECA Act were an attempt to suppress the voice of journalists which would not be accepted under any circumstances.
The speakers further stated that, under the pretext of 'fake news' the government intended to silence criticism, but the journalist community would continue to protest against this law at every level.
They criticized the haste with which the PECA bill was introduced, highlighting the federal government's negative stance towards the media.
They demanded that the federal government should immediately withdraw the bill, arguing that such laws were being enacted to curb freedom of expression and that the government aimed to take away the right to express opinions.
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