The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Thursday unanimously approved a bill to repeal Section 124-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) – also known as the ‘Sedition Law’.
The bill came under consideration during a meeting of the panel held under the chairmanship of PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz.
Section 124-A of the PPC reads: “Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the federal or provincial government established by law shall be punished with imprisonment for life to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.”
In March this year, Lahore High Court’s Justice Shahid Karim struck down Section 124-A of the PPC, declaring it as ultra vires of the Constitution. The petitioners argued that Section 124-A of the PPC contravened Article 8, 9, 14, 16, 17, 19 and 19-A of the Constitution.
In the Senate committee’s meeting, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2023, introduced by PTI Senator Fawzia Arshad, was unanimously approved.
PPP Senator Mian Raza Rabbani said the bill was “lost” somewhere in the secretariat. He pointed out that purpose of the bill was to change the neo-demographic style of government.
The PPP senator observed that there is no need for Section 124-A in the PPC as it belonged to the neo-demographic era. He added that in present times, the concept of rebellion did not exist.
