Rights activists vow to defend social media freedom

Published March 5, 2020
Demand review of rules framed under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016. — Dawn/File
Demand review of rules framed under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016. — Dawn/File

ISLAMABAD: Rights act­ivists, lawyers, journalists, politicians representing different political parties at a conference held here on Wed­nesday expressed the res­olve to resist and challe­nge government move to res­trict social media freedom.

They demanded review of rules framed under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016 and appro­ved a declaration stating that such “black laws will not only tarnish Pakistan’s image globally, but will also usurp the constitutional right of people of Pakistan guaranteed in Article 19 of the Constitution”.

Those who spoke at the conference included noted human rights activist I.A. Rehman, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, former senator Farhatullah Babar, veteran journalists Imtiaz Alam, Muhammad Ziaud­din, Hussain Naqi, Senator Pervez Rashid, Abid Saqi of Pakistan Bar Council, senior anchor person Hamid Mir, Haris Khalique of Human Rights Commission of Pakis­tan, Senator Jehanzeb Jama­l­dini, Senator Tahir Bizenjo, Sadaf Khan of Media Matters for Democracy and Chaudhry Shafiq of PCHR.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Back in parliament
Updated 27 Jul, 2024

Back in parliament

It is ECP's responsibility to set right all the wrongs it committed in the Feb 8 general elections.
Brutal crime
27 Jul, 2024

Brutal crime

No effort has been made to even sensitise police to the gravity of crime involving sexual assaults, let alone train them to properly probe such cases.
Upholding rights
27 Jul, 2024

Upholding rights

Sanctity of rights bodies, such as the HRCP, should be inviolable in a civilised environment.
Judicial constraints
Updated 26 Jul, 2024

Judicial constraints

The fact that it is being prescribed by the legislature will be questioned, given the political context.
Macabre spectacle
26 Jul, 2024

Macabre spectacle

Israel knows that regardless of the party that wins the presidency, America’s ‘ironclad’ support for its genocidal endeavours will continue.