DESPITE the immense pressures they routinely face, Pakistani journalists have always cherished and jealously safeguarded their freedoms. There is hope that, despite everything, the fight has not yet left the community. On Friday, they rallied for the observance of a ‘Black Day’ against recent amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, which were bulldozed by the ruling coalition through parliament and signed into law by the president earlier this week. There are now harsher penalties in effect for anything deemed ‘fake news’ by the authorities, expanded state oversight of digital platforms, and preparations for new regulatory bodies to monitor and clamp down on social media. Decrying the Peca amendments as a ‘black’ law, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, which organised the protest, had called out ruling parties for advocating for freedom of expression when in the opposition and betraying them once in power. Condemning the amended Act for enabling detentions and penalties without fair trial procedures, the PFUJ has also announced a nationwide ‘press freedom movement’, to be led by journalists and rights activists, and said it would join formal challenges to the law along with lawyers across the country.

In a just society, the legitimacy of any law is considered not in its convenience to the rulers of the day but in its universality. A good law must protect and safeguard rights and freedoms regardless of who holds power. The Peca amendments, on the other hand, seem to have been designed to serve a few while endangering the many. Those who legislated and enacted the amendments do not seem to have given adequate thought to their potential dangers. It is also strange that they have overlooked repeated warnings, even from well-wishers: after all, one of the first casualties of the original Peca were the same parties that had helped the law’s passage. Unheard and dismissed, the press and legal fraternities have chosen to take a worthy stand; one that is reasonably cautious of the implications of the newly updated law. For their own sake, the ruling parties should pay heed to their concerns. All stakeholders realise that there can be no compromise on national security, but at the same time there are sharp disagreements over how the digital sphere must be secured. The government must listen to opposing viewpoints and address all stakeholders’ concerns.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2025