Islamabad:
Jamiat Urvila-e-Islam (Jui-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday assured parliamentary journalists of his full support for their complaints of the PECA change proposal.
He noted that politics and journalism have always been deeply linked, especially in the parliamentary landscape.
He spoke during his visit to the Office of Parliamentary Reporters’ Association (Pra) in the House of Parliament, where he was welcomed by Pra President Usman Khan, secretary Naveed Akbar and other body members.
During the visit, Pra officials informed the Jui-F chief about the PECA change proposal.
“Legislators prepare legislation based on specific circumstances, but over time these laws lose their relevance,” the Jui-F chief said.
He also aimed at the role of state institutions and said, “It is astonishing how the constitution of the powers of them.”
When he repeated his position on the Peca Act, he said journalists should have been heard before its changes. “I had called on the president to take journalists’ statements and involve media organizations before they signed the bill. I had also asked him to postpone his approval, but external pressure led to the bill’s rapid adoption,” he claimed.
According to him, the government initially tried to push the amendment through without preparing a formal text. “They wanted an immediate vote, but when a draft was required, it was only after intense resistance it was finally presented.”
He argued that it would have effectively made Pakistan a “nominal democracy with the essence of martial arts”.
