The Senate has approved amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) Bill, 2025.
The new amendments say that if someone deliberately shares or spreads false information that could cause fear or panic in society, they can be punished with up to three years in jail, a fine of up to Rs2 million, or both.
Opposition to the Peca amendment
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has claimed that these amendments were being introduced to target them.
Journalists in Pakistan expressed their strong opposition to these peca amendments.
In this regard, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) announced a nationwide protest today at 3pm.
“We had appealed to the government of Pakistan and elected representatives to consult all stakeholders before passing the amendments from Senate of Pakistan. We reject these amendments, as they go against the spirit of the Constitution”, it said.
However, according to Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, the bill was not set in stone and was not aimed at journalists.
“This law will not deal with TV newspapers but social media,” he said, adding that it has nothing to do with the journalists.
The National Assembly has also passed “The Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024,” introduced by Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication.
The bill wants to make a digital identity for residents. This will collect important social, economic, and government information in one place. It aims to help Pakistan become a digital country with a digital society, economy, and government.