Justice Inam Amin Minhas from Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday heard several petitions seeking cancellation of the controversial prevention of the Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) amendment 2025.
The petitions were filed by Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), prominent TV anchors and Islamabad High Court (IHC) Journalist’s Association.
The federal government has submitted its written response to the court.
A government attorney stated that provincial governments have also been made the respondents in the case. Attorney Imran Shafiq told the court that an initial objection raised by the Justice Secretary’s office was resolved.
During the consultation, IHC’s attorneys were required to start presenting their arguments. PFUJ -advisor Dr. Yasir Aman Khan opened the arguments by giving historical context as the judge asked to give the background first so that the court can understand the case.
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“The Peca Act was introduced in 2016,” Dr. Yasir, adding that the amendment in 2025 removed several provisions from the original law and added new ones.
He noticed that the amendment also creates a raw for social media and expands the scope of the law.
Justice Inam Amin Minhas instructed the petries to clarify the changes in the Code of Conduct and highlight what it previously brought and what has now been changed.
Peca change
Earlier this year, the National Assembly adopted a set of changes to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) according to a supplementary agenda, which significantly expands the government’s authority to regulate online content and punish digital offenses.
PECA (amendment) ACT 2025 included provisions on the formation of a digital rights protection Authority (DRPA), which will be empowered to remove online content, limit access to prohibited material and impose such content.
The changes also expanded the definition of “social media platforms” to include tools and software used to access these platforms.
The revised law is now expanding its jurisdiction to include sites, applications and various communication channels. As part of the legislative changes, the FIA cybercrime wing must be dissolved and replaced with a stricter enforcement framework.
According to the new rules, individuals who share exude material from parliamentary or provincial assemblies on social media may be subjected to imprisonment of up to three years along with a fine of RS2 million.
