ISLAMABAD – The Senate on Tuesday passed the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) Amendment Bill after its approval by the National Assembly.
During the bill’s passage, the opposition strongly opposed it and staged a protest while journalists walked out during the Senate session.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and PTI leader Shibli Faraz said, “We do not support this bill. While the minister is right that no one supports spreading false news, the procedure for this bill is flawed. There is no institution, no judges, and no lawyers for the cases that will arise from it,”.
JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza expressed concerns, saying that, “I had proposed amendments to the PECA Act, but they were neither approved nor rejected by the committee. This is an incomplete report by the standing committee,”.
After the bill’s approval, PFUJ President Afzal Butt while talking to a private TV channel said, “The journalist community across the country is observing a ‘Black Day’ today. We will challenge this bill in court, and discussions with lawyers are ongoing. We will compel the government to consult us on this matter,”.
According to the amendment bill, the regulatory authority will consist of nine members, including the Secretary of Interior, Chairman PTA, and Chairman PEMRA as ex-officio members. The chairman of the authority must hold a bachelor’s degree and have at least 15 years of experience in the relevant field. The chairman and five members will be appointed for a five-year term.
The federal government decided to include journalists in the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority. Among the five members, one will be a journalist with 10 years of experience, and a software engineer will also be included.
Additionally, the authority will have a lawyer, a social media professional and an IT expert from the private sector.
The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday approved the PECA Amendment Bill while the National Assembly had already passed it earlier.
