Journalist organizations across Pakistan have strongly opposed recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), expressing concern over the lack of consultation and its implications for press freedom.

A Joint Action Committee, consisting of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AMEND) and Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) , issued a statement rejecting the changes and demanding their immediate withdrawal.

The committee stressed that the changes to the PECA Act were introduced without consulting media stakeholders, a move it termed unacceptable.

The PFUJ separately termed the changes as misleading, with President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari terming them unnecessary and a violation of constitutional rights, claiming that the changes were a calculated effort to suppress the media, social media platforms and the wider journalistic community.

In its statement, the Karachi Press Club (KPC) also expressed strong reservations and condemned the changes as a threat to freedom of expression.

The club’s president Fazil Jamili and secretary Sohail Afzal Khan highlighted that Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of expression.

They criticized the government for failing to consult stakeholders before adopting the changes and called for the law to be repealed.

The KPC suggested that the government empower mainstream media to report accurate information in real time and combat misinformation on social media through inclusive legislation involving all stakeholders.

The recently passed amendments, introduced in the National Assembly under a supplementary agenda, propose the creation of a Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA) with powers to remove online content, restrict access to prohibited material and punish those who share such content.

The amendments redefine “social media platforms” to include tools and software used to access them and expand the scope of the law to websites, applications and communication channels.

Further, the amendments propose to disband the FIA ​​Cybercrime Wing and replace it with stricter sanctions. For example, sharing deleted material from parliamentary or provincial assemblies on social media can result in up to three years in jail and a fine of Rs2 million.

Journalists protested the bill during its presentation in the National Assembly and walked out of the press gallery in a show of defiance.

The KPC and other organizations have called for the immediate repeal of the “Black Law” and announced plans to decide their future course of action through consultations.

The changes have sparked significant backlash, with critics calling them an attack on press freedom and freedom of expression, and calling on the government to engage media bodies and civil society representatives before implementing any legislation affecting digital and press rights.