KARACHI:

The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has rejected the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment Bill 2025) Bill, tabled by the federal government in the National Assembly, due to the absence of prior consultation with stakeholders.

In a joint statement, the president, general secretary and other officials of the CPNE said the government should have adopted democratic principles and engaged with relevant journalistic bodies, civil society, lawyers and human rights groups before introducing the bill.

The statement noted that the bill contained provisions for strict action against journalists and activists on social media.