ISLAMABAD: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has strongly recommended the complete repeal of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act 2025, raising alarm over its coercive provisions and its threat to fundamental rights, especially freedom of expression.
In a comprehensive report presented during an advocacy event funded by the European Union, HRCP painted a grim picture of the law’s implications for civic freedom and democratic discourse in Pakistan.
Digital rights advocate Farieha Aziz, who authored the report, stated that PECA criminalises ambiguous concepts such as “fake and false information,” enabling potentially abusive prosecutions.
The Act introduces severe penalties — including up to three years of imprisonment — and grants sweeping powers to regulatory bodies dominated by the executive branch. These structures, including a new complaints council and tribunal, lack the independence required for fair oversight.
Shrinking Civic Space and Executive Overreach
The report condemned the reclassification of several previously bailable and non-cognisable offences into non-bailable and cognisable categories, a move seen as deliberately expanding the scope for state-led suppression.
Furthermore, it highlighted that the newly formed National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, which replaced the FIA in cybercrime matters, operates without sufficient legal checks or transparency, raising fears of unchecked surveillance and harassment.
Speaking at the meeting, journalist Adnan Rehmat reminded participants that protecting citizens’ rights is the state’s constitutional duty.
He pushed for the decriminalisation of free speech and called for broad political engagement to protect civil liberties.
Fellow journalist Saleem Shahid echoed these sentiments, denouncing PECA as an assault on free speech and access to information, and urged for unified resistance from journalists and civil society.
Call for National Civil Society Alliance
The meeting saw multiple calls for a nationwide civil society coalition aimed at pushing back against digital repression.
Digital rights activists Usama Khilji and Aftab Alam proposed creating a platform that unites journalists, human rights defenders, and legal experts to engage political parties in dialogue on protecting freedoms.
HRCP Co-Chair Munizae Jahangir addressed the specific issues faced by journalists in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir, describing the combination of surveillance and connectivity control in these areas as an intentional silencing strategy.
She also highlighted journalist Asad Ali Toor’s experience, where his family’s bank accounts were allegedly frozen due to his reporting — an act she called “economic terrorism.”
HRCP Vice Chair Nasreen Azhar concluded the session by advocating for a formal review of all existing laws that conflict with constitutional protections, suggesting this should be a primary task for the proposed civil society alliance.
