ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a national round table discussion on the rising constraints to freedom of expression in Pakistan slammed the recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act (Peca) 2025, claiming that the law was being exploited across the country mainly to silence free and independent voices.

The conversation highlighted that the misuse of Peca was not only affecting traditional journalism and media freedoms but also closing off digital spaces.

The roundtable was organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and supported by the European Union.

In his opening remarks, political scientist Dr Mohammed Wasim said that freedom of speech was being crushed in many countries and cited the examples of the USA and India, where the suppression of dissenting voices was leading to the accumulation of power.

“It is time that the struggle for human rights and freedom must intensify,” he added.

Several speakers pointed to the lack of due process in recent actions taken against online content producers. They said Peca was being used against non-political posts on social media, while none of the authorities were even providing data or details of such cases to Parliament.

The roundtable also discussed a recent case where a local court in Islamabad ordered the shutdown of 27 YouTube channels based solely on an inquiry report by the FIA. However, neither the FIA nor the court issued any notice nor provided legal proceedings to the accused.

Moderated by digital rights activist Farieha Aziz, the participants observed that there was a need to present alternative solutions to the government to counter issues like fake news, hate speech and the promotion of extremism, while also demanding the withdrawal of Peca.

Ms Aziz explained that Peca grants vague and sweeping powers to the FIA, and that not only journalists but also social activists and lawyers face persecution due to the misuse of the law.

She added that around a decade ago, the then minister for IT had made tall claims about the benefits of Peca — but she has since been proven wrong.

“The PML-N brought this law, PTI expanded it, PPP supported it — and they all suffered,” Farieha Aziz said, adding, “The new amendments will create suffering for everybody.”

Anchorperson Absa Komal observed a shift in censorship tactics, from arrests to economic pressure and institutional intimidation, leading many to self-censor. Meanwhile, HRCP co-chair Munizae Jahangir warned that authorities could exploit divisions within civil society and the media, and she advocated for building an alliance of all relevant stakeholders.

It was also stressed that the key responsibility to lead the resistance against Peca lay with the PFUJ. Former PFUJ secretary-general and current HRCP council member Nasir Zaidi urged unity within civil society to push for urgent legal reforms.

Former senator and HRCP council member Farhatullah Babar, along with HRCP secretary-general Harris Khalique, also spoke on the occasion and stressed that without freedom of expression, not a single rights issue — whether civil, economic, or social — can be raised or voiced.

Journalists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan highlighted the difficulties of reporting from these provinces, saying that repression in remote areas had now expanded to urban centres.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2025