ISLAMABAD: Days after Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman strongly rejected the recently enacted Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) amendments, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday visited his residence, ostensibly to inquire about his health.

Accompanied by Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, the prime minister presented Maulana Fazl with a bouquet.

The Peca amendments were passed by both houses of parliament and signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari despite opposition from journalists and civil rights groups.

According to an official press release from the Prime Minister’s Office, the two leaders discussed the country’s political situation, with PM Shehbaz extending good wishes to Maulana Fazl.

Last week, the JUI-F chief endorsed journalists’ concerns about the Peca amendments, deploring that President Zardari allegedly reneged on commitments made regarding the law.

Maulana argued that the input and consent of journalists should have been considered before the legislation was passed.

Maulana Fazl claimed he had talked to President Zardari by phone to request him to take the journalist community into confidence over the law.

He said the president had assured him that he would talk to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi upon his return from the United States.

However, the president later signed the law and did not honour the commitment, which was highly deplorable as this should not have happened at such a level, the JUI-F leader added.

He suggested that the input of the journalist community should have been considered in the law, which had a broad and direct impact on the media. He said the reservations regarding the misuse of the bill were justified in light of the history of such occurrences.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2025