ISLAMABAD: The Joint Action Committee (JAC), representing all major media stakeholders, has asked the chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior for a hearing before the committee debates recently introduced amendments to the Prev­ention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

On Thursday, the National Assembly passed the controversial amendments to Peca, introduced as a supplementary agenda item just a day earlier, and the bill is now with the Senate.

A letter, addressed to Senator Faisal Saleem Rahman, said the JAC wanted to put before the Senate committee “our serious concerns on certain aspects of this bill which seriously impede freedom of expression”.

“We urge you to give the representatives of JAC a hearing before the committee debates the above-mentioned amendment bill,” it added.

The JAC said the bill was introduced without any consultation or discussion with relevant stakeholders, including media and journalist organisations, adding that the committee, however, was not against laws that regulated media in a manner consistent with democratic norms.

In a comment on the haste with which the bill was rushed through the lower house of parliament, the letter said, “Such an approach erodes trust and raises serious concerns about the intent behind the bill, particularly its impact on constitutionally guaranteed rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”

The JAC consists of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND), and the Pakistan Broad­casters Association (PBA).

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2025