The Pakistani Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court, which contested the recent changes to the country’s cybercrime law and called for them to be beaten as “unparalleled.”
The Act on Electronic Crimes in Pakistan (amendment), 2025, adopted on January 29, introduces provisions that make the dissemination of “false or false” information into a criminal act punished by up to three years in prison, without a clear definition of what constitutes “false or false” news.
Journalists and experts in digital rights have expressed concern about the lack of consultation during the drafting of the bill and argued that it suffocates public control and violates fundamental rights.
They also pointed to the broad powers awarded to government agencies during the changes to regulate online content, which could lead to increased censorship.
The changes establish four new government agencies with authority to block and remove online content based on vague criteria, which means that human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to raise concern for potential violations of international human rights law.
The PFUJ arrival to the Court claims that the amended law violates constitutional guarantees, including proper process and trial.
It seeks to prevent the government from using “forced powers” against journalists under the new law and shows several government agencies as respondents, including the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Information and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
According to the amendments to the amendments, a new protection of social media will be formed that are protected with government -appointed members, which raises concerns about the body’s independence.
Another body, the social media protection and regulatory authority, will be able to order the removal or blocking of content considered “against Pakistan’s ideology” or “false or false”, as well as imposing relationships with social media companies.
The changes were introduced in the midst of increasing concern over the crash of digital speech in Pakistan, including frequent internet shutdowns and networking. The government has also worked on implementing a national firewall despite the refusal that the movements are aimed at censorship.
