THE recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2025, now covering social media platforms, raise a red flag for democratic governance in Pakistan.

As highlighted at the national roundtable in Islamabad, organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), sweeping and vaguely worded Peca provisions are being used to silence in-dependent voices without due process.

Rather than targeting genuine threats — such as hate speech or incitement to violence — Peca is being used to curb expression of dissent. The HRCP has warned that the drift towards institutional intimidation is likely to prompt self-censorship, fracturing public discourse.

Pakistan’s political landscape nece-ssitates an autonomous and unfettered digital space, enabling people to hold power to account, express grievances, and mobilise public opinion for reforms.

Unfortunately, when laws designed to combat cybercrime are misused, demo-cracy suffers.

A fair legal procedure must be estab-lished to initiate reforms. Content removal must follow prior legal adjudication, not arbitrary action. Doing this will ensure there is enough room left for appeal on behalf of the stakeholders.

Furthermore, Peca must be amended to define offences clearly, limit the scope of agency discretion, and ensure oversight by relevant parliamentary bodies. Media and civil society must stand united in this regard.

As things stand today, Pakistan cannot afford a digital dark age. As the country continues to confront daunting economic as well as geopolitical challenges, it must also focus on reinforcing and strengthening its democratic foundations. There is every reason for us to ensure that Peca protects citizens, not muzzles their voice.

Nabeel Abid Bhatti
Lahore

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2025