PECA tweaks challenged

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI:

Recent amendments to the law that originally dealt with cybercrimes — the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016 — have been challenged both in the apex court as well as the provincial High Court of Sindh (SHC).

A citizen, Abdul Qayyum, has filed a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court, contending that PECA (Amendment) Act, 2025 violates the basic rights of citizens and should therefore be set aside. The petition argues that even parliament cannot pass any law abridging basic rights.

Meanwhile, two journalistic organizations—the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) and the Society of Court Reporters—have approached the SHC against the amendments bulldozed through parliament last week amid protest by opposition and journalists.

The petition argues that the PECA (Amendment) Act, 2025 grants authorities the power to remove and block content from social media platforms. It states that Section 2(R), Subsection 1(H) of the amended act does not include the words "false" or "fake."

The PECA law violates Articles 8, 9, 10-A, 18, 19, and 19-A of the Constitution, while also contradicting Islamic laws, it claims.

The petition states that Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) also provides protection to journalists. Pakistan has signed the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights, which safeguards journalists as well.

The PECA (Amendment) Act, 2025 is an attempt to censor the truth. Members of the assembly are public representatives, and the public has the right to access information about them.