Zubair Qureshi
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday directed the Speaker of the National Assembly to constitute a committee to review the social media rules prepared by the previous government saying it would be a real test for the present Parliament.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah made these remarks while hearing a petition that challenged the social media rules prepared by the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
CJ Athar Minallah observed that the previous government had changed and those who were in the opposition previously and were opposed to these rules are now in power.
“Will it not be better for the current government to consult with the stakeholders and settle the issue?” the court inquired, adding that it would always prefer the correction of laws to be done by those who were the lawmakers and represented the government.
Emphasizing the significance of the right to freedom of expression the chief justice stated that the court had been observing what was constantly being done to freedom of expression in the country and those in power must clarify everything without leaving anything open-ended so that they might not be misused tomorrow.
The CJ further directed the government to correct the rules as earlier the present government representatives expressed their helplessness and used to say they were in the opposition.
CJ Athar Minallah called Pakistan Peoples Party’s Farhatullah Babar to the rostrum and remarked that his party was in government now. “Rectifying the rules according to criticisms in the past as members of the opposition is this government’s real test” the court further said.
Farhatullah Babar agreed that if the court sends the matter to the parliament, it will also be a test for the present government.
Justice Minallah held that the parliament should look into the matter, and that it will look at the report once it comes.
In April, the IHC had declared the amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) through an ordinance promulgated in February this year as “unconstitutional.”
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had challenged this decision a couple of days earlier contending that the IHC provided the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) relief “without legal justification”, claiming that the decision will encourage violators to break the law.
Following criticism, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had on the same day ordered the FIA to withdraw the petition and expressed his displeasure.
