Tag: Peca

  • FIA arrests two suspects over offensive posts about Maryam Nawaz

    FIA arrests two suspects over offensive posts about Maryam Nawaz

    Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cybercrime circle has arrested Murtaza Khan and Ahmed Hassan over objectionable remarks against Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Samaa has reported.

    The FIA spokesperson claimed that the two suspects were included in a team that edited and shared derogatory posts about Maryam Nawaz and other senior officials on social media.

    The suspects have been charged under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act (PECA).
    FIA stated that no one is beyond the law, and strict action will be taken against the suspects.

    In 2016, the then PML-N led government introduced the PECA law to “check extremist content, prosecute hate speech and curb online harassment of women.”

    The law has been criticised over the years as an instrument of stuffing free speech.

  • PECA law enforced in passport offices

    PECA law enforced in passport offices

    The federal government has taken an important step to stop issuance of illegal passports and theft of sensitive data.

    According to the sources, reported by Geo News, PECA law has been implemented to permanently block access to Pakistani passports for foreigners including Afghans.

    The Federal Cabinet has implemented the Anti-Electronic Crimes Act on six sections of passport offices.

    Sources elaborated that entry into important offices in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi has been made inaccessible except for certain officers and employees with security clearance — all to prevent data theft of sensitive information, passports, visas, theft of citizenship and applicant data.

    Approval has been taken from the caretaker federal Cabinet through a circular on the summary of the Ministry of Interior.

  • Social media hater? You could go to prison for seven years

    Social media hater? You could go to prison for seven years

    The federal cabinet has approved an amendment seeking seven-year imprisonment for those who spread hateful content on social media.

    Under the amendment, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been authorised to take action against such people. The final approval of the amendment will be taken by Parliament.

    However, Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah decided to consult journalists and other stakeholders on the amendment. The minister said that if the amendment leads to restrictions on people’s freedom of expression, then the government will withdraw the bill

    The interior minister also stressed that if the bill is against the freedom of expression then “we won’t pass it”.

    Sanaullah said people’s private lives are being affected due to social media which is a “serious matter”.

    He further added that the issue is an important one, therefore, the government is hoping that the amendments will not create hurdles in the way of people’s right to freedom of expression.

    Earlier this year, during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tenure, President Arif Alvi approved an ordinance of a similar nature proposing amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, (PECA) 2016. It proposed a five-year sentence for criticising state institutions, including the Pakistan Army and judiciary on electronic media

    At the time, Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared the ordinance “unconstitutional” and directed the federal government to probe abuse of the law and submit a report. The law also faced backlash from the media fraternity.

  • Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called the PM House a ‘Jamhoori House’ (Democratic House) and said that his government believed in media freedom. In an interaction with journalists at the PM House on April 26, Sharif said that the previous government was not just incompetent and corrupt but had damaged the country’s economy and foreign relations. PM Shehbaz talked about several issues.

    New army chief

    PM said that he has the constitutional right to appoint a new army chief. He added that he will appoint the new army chief as per the constitution and rules and regulations when the time comes for his appointment. This was in response to a question about the appointment of a new army chief since General Bajwa will not take an extension as per DG ISPR.

    Pak-US relations

    While answering a question about Pakistan’s relationship with the US, PM said that the US is a superpower so we need to maintain good relations with them. “Amreeka dushmani hamaaray waaray nahin” (we cannot afford enmity with the US). He added that we need to do some stock-taking regarding Pak-US ties and improve relations with the US.

    Foreign Policy

    Talking about foreign relations, PM Shehbaz said that the previous government had alienated allies and friends. “How can we say that we can raise the Kashmir issue without Saudi Arabia?”

    PM said that the members of the previous government had lied about loans on 8% by China apart from allegations of corruption against Chinese investment by Pervez Khattak and several others in PTI. “China helped us get rid of load shedding by investing in power plants.”

    Saudi Visit

    PM will be visiting Saudi Arabia tomorrow (April 28-30) on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. PM Shehbaz said that he is likely to meet the Saudi leadership during his visit.

    Load shedding

    He said that there there is no other reason for frequent load shedding other than the negligence of previous government for not buying LNG and furnace oil on time. He also criticised the previous government for its baseless allegations against the LNG contract signed by the previous PML-N government. He said that Qatar must have been amazed that instead of thanking them for such a good deal, PTI indulged in “ilzaam taraashi” [allegations].

    Economic crisis

    “Pakistan is going through one of the most difficult times. We are trying to take the country in the right direction. We have seen how Japan and Germany rebuilt their economies after tough times. We have the examples of South Korea and Bangladeshi economies too. Once upon a time, Pakistan had a better per capita income than China but look at us now. Our currency was better than India’s. When India was ahead of us in the steel industry, we were ahead of them in textiles.”

    “There is no point crying over spilt milk but now it is time to rebuild our economy,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that it will be a difficult challenge but is not impossible to bring back our lost place in the comity of nations by strengthening our economy. “Rome was not built in a day.”

    “If we were economically strong, our foreign policy would have been stronger.”

    PECA

    The PM was asked if roll back of PECA was on the cards, to which he said that his government believes in freedom of media and media will not have to face any curbs but they need to differentiate between truth and fake news. “Media should highlight our mistakes. We welcome that. But it should not spread fake news.”

    Missing files

    When asked that there are reports that some files have been taken by the previous government from the PM House regarding sugar scandal and other scandals, Shehbaz said that if he is given evidence about the missing files, he will find them.

    Accountability

    He said that in the name of accountability, there will be no revenge. “Ehtesaab ke naam par intiqaam nahin leinge,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that businessmen say they will not invest here because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will either arrest them or harass them. “Businessmen kehte hain ya NAB giraftaar kar leinge ya zaleel kareinge unko.”

    Elections

    The PM said that we will go for elections after carrying out necessary reforms, especially electoral reforms.

    Threat letter

    PM Shehbaz said that the National Security Committee meeting issued a clear statement that there was no conspiracy. “The punchline of the statement was that there is no saazish, no conspiracy.”

    Shehbaz said that if the threat letter was received on March 7, why did the PTI government talk about it on March 28? “March tak moonh mein taalay kyun laga kar baithay thay?” He asked when did the previous government turn this letter into a conspiracy. “When they knew they were going to lose in parliament. There is no question of a conspiracy whatsoever.”

    Karachi attack

    “The attack in Karachi University is a huge tragedy where three Chinese nationals died. China is our friend. I went to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad for solidarity,” said PM. He added that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will go to Karachi on Wednesday (today) and help and coordinate with the Sindh government. “After our Saudi visit, we will hold a comprehensive meeting on security.”

    Afghanistan

    Afghanistan is not just our neighbour but our “baraadar mulk” (brother country). “If there is peace in Afghanistan, there will be peace in Pakistan. What is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan.”

    PTI resignations

    PM said that they have found out that many resignations were taken by force from PTI MNAs and were not given voluntarily. “We will know the truth when the legal process has been completed.” He was asked whether the government could convince PTI to take back its resignations to be an effective Opposition.

    PTI long march

    While answering a question about Imran Khan’s call for march to Islamabad, PM said that if they won’t do anything unlawful, nothing will happen to them but he won’t allow anyone to spread anarchy on the roads.

    Pak Army

    The PM said that the Pak Army has given a lot of sacrifices for this country. “It is wrong to say anything negative about Pakistan’s army. It is condemnable,” said the PM when responding to a question about social media trends against the army.

  • FIA picks up 24 over social media campaign against Pak Army

    FIA picks up 24 over social media campaign against Pak Army

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested more 24 persons on charges of launching a smear campaign on social media against the Pakistan Army. According to officials, the arrests were made during raids conducted in 11 cities.

    According to the FIA officers, the arrested people have been accused of initiating a “hate trend” against Pakistan Army on Twitter. Until now, 19 people have been charged under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Pakistan Electronic Crime Prevention Act  (PECA) for unleashing a smear campaign against the Army on social media.

    On Monday, the FIA carried out raids in various cities including Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad to arrest people who were behind targetting Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the Army.

    According to media reports, the cases will be heard by the authority concerned under the anti-terrorism laws. All cases have been shifted from the cyber crime wing to the anti-terrorism wing.

    The Counter-Terrorism Wing Director Humayun Sindhu is leading the investigation process under anti-terrorism laws.

    On April 12, FIA arrested six people under similar charges to propagate a propaganda campaign against COAS and Army across the social media.

  • 7,000 cases closed after PECA repelled by court: Federal Investigation Agency

    7,000 cases closed after PECA repelled by court: Federal Investigation Agency

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has closed almost 7,000 inquiries and actions initiated under section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act (Peca) Ordinance 2022, a couple of days after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared the amended law as “unconstitutional”.

    Majority of these complaints were registered on charges of defamation and serious threats received by citizens via Twitter and Facebook profiles.

    The IHC further directed the federal government to probe abuse of the law and sought a report in this regard within 30 days.

    According to Dawn News, quoting sources, “the action was initiated on 70 percent of the total complaints filed by the women who were harassed on social media by “known and unknown persons.”

    FIA officials stated that over 60 percent of the total complaints of women were registered on charges of sexually harassment through Facebook accounts.

    Furthermore, following the IHC verdict, the FIA’s cyber crime division has stopped receiving complaints under Peca section 20.

    Read more- Civil society, political collectives condemn PECA Ordinance

    Why was the law so controversial?

    PECA received criticism from all quarters of society. According to critics, the law would make it illegal to send text messages without the recipient’s authorisation, be tried and jailed for sending fake whatsapp forwards or to use social media to criticise the government.

    Digital Rights activist Usama Khilji, while talking exclusively to The Current said that “the section of PECA related to sexual harassment is sections 21 and 24 which are very much still a part of the law. Only the harm to reputation part of section 20 has been struck down by the Islamabad High court because it had become a tool in the hands of the powerful to shut down any criticism against them through a criminal defamation case. Defamation is decriminalised in most democracies today. “

    He continued by adding, “the short-lived amendment ordinance only worsened section 20 by criminalising harm to the reputation of public officials as well as organisations and institutions, and making it non-bailable, non-compoundable and cognizable which means that the FIA could arrest accused without warrant, file a case on their own, and not give them bail. it was necessary to preserve basic rights and democracy the unconstitutional and authoritarian ordinance was struck down.”

  • ‘Government ready to withdraw media Ordinance under one condition’: Fawad

    ‘Government ready to withdraw media Ordinance under one condition’: Fawad

    Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that the government is ready to withdraw the controversial Pakistan Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 (PECA).

    “The government has handed over the mandate to Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. If the media Joint Action Committee (JAC) could get its proposal approved, the government would also accept the recommendations,” said Fawad on HUM News programme, ‘Breaking Point with Malick’.

    “If the Joint Action Committee brings the draft in 90 days, they will amend the PECA Ordinance,” said Fawad.

    On Tuesday, JAC members had called on Elahi at the assembly chambers to discuss their reservations regarding the PECA law. 

    Fully supporting the demands of the JAC, Elahi had demanded immediate withdrawal of the amendment to the PECA Ordinance, The News reported. 

    He said the PECA Ordinance is the government’s “selective treatment of the journalist community and the people of Pakistan”.

    In February, PECA Ordinance was promulgated by President Arif Alvi. Talking exclusively to The Current, Fawad said, “A person who forwards fake news over WhatsApp can be fined and go to jail under the new law.”

    Civil society, political collectives, journalists, and rights activists condemned the new PECA Ordinance.

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that it seems like no one told the premier that there are laws for contempt other than PECA. “It seems like PM Khan was not assisted correctly over PECA Ordinance,” said Justice Minallah, adding that the law is used against critics here.

  • PM Khan strongly dislikes Pakistani media: Foreign Policy report

    PM Khan strongly dislikes Pakistani media: Foreign Policy report

    “Pakistan’s government is tightening its control of media with laws and oversight bodies that critics say enhance its power to censor and punish journalists. New laws potentially extend control to social media such as YouTube and Twitter, snuffing out investigative journalism and critical commentary,” says a report published in Foreign Policy (FP) magazine.

    The report says that Prime Minister Imran Khan “has long had deep antipathy for the media and rarely voices support for journalists who are attacked or disappeared for their work”. It adds that Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Asia programme coordinator, Steven Butler, was denied entry to Pakistan in 2019. “Journalists who find outlets abroad to publish their work and provide income are branded foreign agents intent on the destruction of the Pakistani state,” says the FP report.

    “Our society is a democratic society, and people do realise why these journalists are not on air, are not speaking, why their voices are not being heard,” said Asma Shirazi. “These critical voices are a blessing in democracies. But now that they are not there, there is a huge gap. And people know this, they see this, and they know why it is.”

    Self-censorship by journalists is an insidious consequence of the harassment, she said. “But we have been here before. We know how to deal with it—we keep fighting.”

    PECA Ordinance 2022

    In February, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Amendment (PECA) Ordinance 2022 was promulgated by President Arif Alvi. Talking exclusively to The Current, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said, “A person who forwards fake news over WhatsApp can be fined and go to jail under the new law.”

    Civil society, political collectives, journalists and rights activists condemned the new PECA Ordinance.

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that it seems like no one told the premier that there are laws for contempt other than PECA. “It seems like PM Khan was not assisted correctly over PECA Ordinance,” said Justice Minallah, adding that the law is used against critics here.

    PM Khan defends PECA Ordinance

    “The PECA law was made in 2016. We are only amending it,” said PM Khan on Monday. He said that “filth” such as child pornography was being shared on social media. He also accused journalists of taking money and blackmail.

    Joint statement by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch

    On Monday, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a joint statement that the government’s amendment to its cybercrimes act “is the latest in a concerted campaign to restrict freedom of expression and stifle dissent”.

    “PECA has been used to silence freedom of expression on the pretext of combating ‘fake news,’ cybercrime, and misinformation,” said Nadia Rahman, acting deputy regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International. “This amendment not only violates the Pakistan Constitution, but also puts anyone who questions the government or other state institutions at further risk. It particularly endangers journalists, human rights defenders, and political opponents who run the risk of prosecution for merely doing their jobs.”

    “The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act neither protects the public from legitimate cybercrime concerns nor respects fundamental human rights,” said Patricia Gossman, Asia associate director at Human Rights Watch. “The new amendments will further embed violations of basic rights with a thin veneer of legality.”

  • ‘Seems like PM Khan was not assisted correctly over PECA Ordinance’: Justice Minallah

    During the hearing of a plea challenging the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) PECA Ordinance, 2022, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah reportedly issued a notice to the attorney-general of Pakistan and directed him to combine this petition with other petitions that are against PECA.

    Justice Minallah said that it seems like no one told the premier that there are laws for contempt other than PECA. He was referring to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s address yesterday. “It seems like PM Khan was not assisted correctly over PECA Ordinance,” said Justice Minallah, adding that the law is used against critics here.

    The plea was filed by former president of Lahore High Court (LHC) Bar Maqsood Buttar. In the petition, it was argued that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) doesn’t have the authority to deal with a matter between two private parties.

    Previously, the IHC chief called the amendment “draconian in nature”. He said it is even worse than the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law.

    Last month, President Arif Alvi passed an Ordinance amending PECA 2016, an attempt to make online “defamation” of authorities, including the military and judiciary, a criminal offence with harsh penalties.

    The high court adjourned the hearing till March 10.

  • Civil society, political collectives condemn PECA Ordinance

    Civil society, political collectives condemn PECA Ordinance

    Civil society organisations and political collectives have issued a joint statement, condemning the enactment of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022.

    “The Ordinance runs afoul of Articles 19 and 19A of the Constitution of Pakistan which guarantees freedom of expression. Furthermore, the process by which the amendments have been made, arbitrarily and via Ordinance bypassing parliament, is an affront to democratic value,” said the statement.

    The statement also addressed the misuse of Section 20 against “journalists, political opponents and survivors of gender-based violence”.

    It further added that it is “obvious that the sole purpose of this Ordinance is to make it criminally punishable to criticise the state and its officials, against settled jurisprudence that extends protections through defamation to private persons as opposed to public figures who lesser protections.”

    The statement called on citizens of Pakistan to recognise this Ordinance as an attack on their constitutional right to free expression and access to information.

    It demanded that the government immediately withdraw the Ordinance and refrain from presenting it for assent once the three-month lifespan of the
    Ordinance lapses. “Instead, we call upon all political parties to repeal Section 20 should be done through the parliament given that it runs afoul the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression.”

    Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Ahsan Bhoon has announced to challenge the Ordinance.

    In a joint statement, the Opposition termed PECA “fascist and dictatorship”. The statement was released after a meeting between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership.