IN a welcome development, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Wednesday that he agreed to the opposition’s demand of withdrawing the PECA ordinance following the deliberations and finalization of draft by joint action committee members.
During a television interview, he said the Government has given the mandate to Punjab Assembly Speaker and PML (Q) leader Ch Pervez Elahi to decide the matter.
The statement of the Minister, who is chief spokesperson of the Government, is reflective of a flexibility on the part of the Government, which was earlier not ready to review its stand on the controversial ordinance despite stiff resistance and severe objections raised by different segments of the society especially media-persons and the opposition parties.
The differences on the issue were so sharp that some unknown elements started a propaganda campaign even against the Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Justice Athar Minallah in the wake of his justified observations on the PECA ordinance, sparking strong condemnation by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).
The Bar also believes the ‘draconian law’ is an attempt to silence political opponents and all those who believe in the freedom of speech, opinion and expression.
There are legitimate concerns about misuse of the provisions of the said law and that is why media bodies and civil society have vowed not to rest till its revocation or appropriate review.
In fact, the framers of the amendments themselves knew that it was not worth legislating as these have been imposed through an ordinance and not through Parliament.
This poses a serious threat to freedom of expression and people’s right to information.
The Government has done well by expressing its willingness to rectify the wrong and it is hoped it would adopt a similar attitude towards the other controversial ordinance that virtually allows use of state machinery for election campaign, deny level playing fields to candidates.
