During the consultation of a petition on the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (amendments) (PECA), 2025, in Islamabad High Court (IHC), a lawyer warned that if the law is enforced, journalists and the media will only be left reporting on Weather.
IHC heard a petition on Tuesday that challenged the law, which journalists claim, violate constitutional rights and limit the freedom of press.
During the case, lawyer Imran Shafique and Islamabad High Court pointed out the Association (IHCBA) President Riyasat Ali Azad serious legal discrepancies in the law. Shafique claimed that PECA was adopted with a haste with errors in legal drafts, including duplicated and contradictory sections.
Azad claimed that the law violated the articles 19 and 19A in the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and access to information.
“If Peca is enforced, journalists will have nothing left to report except the weather,” he noted.
Court’s question about fake news control
President of the hearing asked Justice Inaam Amin Minhas if stopping fake news should be a priority. “Fake news is actually a problem,” he noted.
PFUJ president Afzal Butt opposed that although journalists are against wrong information, media regulation must not violate fundamental rights.
“We support responsible journalism, but censorship disguised as regulation is unacceptable,” he said.
The petries called on the right to suspend the law, which prompted IHC to issue a message to the lawyer.
The court said a new consultation date would be determined by the Justice Secretary’s office.
PFUJ challenges cybercrime legislation
The Pakistani Federal Union of Journalist’s (PFUJ) filed a petition last week and called Peca an attack on freedom of press.
It claimed that the amendments are expanding the government’s control over speech and criminalizing false news without a proper process.
The petition also claimed that PECA violates international human rights and digital freedoms and called on the right to knock it down.
What does Peca do?
The changed PECA law lowers the maximum prison sentence to spread false information to three years and impose fines of up to RS2 million.
It also introduces new regulatory bodies, including social media protection and regulatory authority (SMPRA), National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and Social Media Protection Tribunals.
The law allows individuals to request the removal of “false” content within 24 hours and mandate social media platforms to register with the authorities. Cases filed under PECA must be resolved within 90 days, with appeals allowed to the Supreme Court within 60 days.
The changes were quickly adopted by the government and withdrew criticism from opposition parties, journalists and media watchdogs over a lack of consultation and potential threats to press freedom.
