PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has criticised the federal Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and said that the legislation is an attack on freedom of the press.

He expressed these views during a meeting with a delegation of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) led by its newly-elected president Kazim Khan on Tuesday, a statement issued here said.

Mr Gandapur said his government had rejected the legislation, as any law that curtails the right to freedom of expression cannot be accepted.

The meeting, according to the statement, discussed key issues related to the newspaper industry, national political developments, and the performance of the provincial government.

Mr Gandapur reiterated that the KP government fully upheld the press freedom and was committed to safeguarding it.

Assures CPNE delegation no case would be registered under this law in KP

He also assured the delegation that neither any case would be registered under Peca nor would any action be tolerated in his province.

“Criticism and questioning are fundamental roles of the media, and we welcome criticism and will use it as an opportunity improvement,” he remarked.

He also criticised a recent draft law introduced by the Punjab government under the title “Public Awareness and Dissemination of Information”, claiming it was originally drafted during the caretaker administration.

“Punjab should clarify whether a caretaker government is still in place there,” Gandapur said, questioning the democratic legitimacy of the bill.

He argued that the proposed Punjab bill violates Islamic values and contradicts the fundamental right to freedom of expression.

He claimed that his government had exercised strict financial discipline and effective monitoring, which had not only prevented

wastage of resources but also enabled the establishment of a Debt Management Fund with an investment of Rs150 billion during the current fiscal year, with another Rs150 billion to be added in the next fiscal year, generating significant profit for the province.

Talking about the province’s Annual Development Programme, Gandapur noted that the throw-forward of the ADP stood at 13.5 years when his government took over, which has now been reduced to four years.

He said his administration had prioritised the completion of ongoing schemes over launching new ones, successfully completing 541 development projects during the past year.

“The new ADP will lay the foundation for projects to be completed within the next three years. A total of Rs195 billion has been allocated for the ADP in the next fiscal year, which will be enhanced to Rs250 billion. For the current fiscal year, Rs120 billion was allocated, all of which has been released, followed by an additional Rs35 billion under ADP Plus,” he explained.

He reaffirmed that Imran Khan was a political prisoner, and PTI will continue its movement for his release.

He said Imran’s narrative enjoys widespread public support and cannot be suppressed.

PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, central secretary information Sheikh Waqas Akram, and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub also attended the meeting.

The CPNE delegation included Mian Hassan Ahmed, Ghulam Nabi Chandio, Ayaz Khan, Ijazul Haq, Tanveer Shaukat, Zia Tanoli, Adnan Zafar, Tahir Farooq, Masood Khan, Shahid Hameed, Mumtaz Bangash, Fazal Haq, Yahya Khan, Rafi Niazi, and Mumtaz Sadiq.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2025