KARACHI: Speakers at a programme organised to discuss media laws, regulations and ethics on Thursday described the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) as a “black law”, alleging that its purpose was to suppress journalism and undermine freedom of expression.

They were speaking at the Provincial Convention on Media Laws, Regulations and Ethics organised by the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) at the Karachi Press Club.

Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani was the chief guest while Senator Raza Rabbani, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt, Secretary General Hassan Ansari, KUJ President Tahir Hasan Khan, former PFUJ secretary general Nasir Zaidi, Tauseef Ahmed Khan, Mazhar Abbas, Habibuddin Junaidi, veteran film star Mustafa Qureshi and others also spoke.

The event was also attended by Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Ali Khurshidi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Deputy Mayor Salman Murad and others.

KUJ convention demands immediate review of Peca framework, unconditional withdrawal of cases against journalists

Demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all cases against journalists, the convention “calls for an immediate, transparent review of the Peca framework to ensure it is no longer used as a tool for political victimisation against the fourth pillar of the state”.

According to the unanimously adopted resolution, “The convention denounces the state’s betrayal of its solemn promise that these laws would never be weaponised against the press. Instead of upholding that commitment, the authorities have escalated their campaign to include judicial harassment, the arbitrary offloading of journalists from flights, and the restriction of professional travel abroad, all of which serve to create a pervasive environment of fear and intimidation.”

The speakers said the media was passing through an exceptionally difficult period, the likes of which had rarely been seen in the past.

They said the purpose of the convention was to raise awareness about the grave challenges facing journalists and to deliberate on ways to address them.

They said the prevailing circumstances confronting media houses and media workers were tantamount to the systematic destruction of the media industry.

According to the speakers, there are currently between 30 and 34 laws in the country that can potentially be used against the media. They argued that the Peca represents the “worst modern form of the old Permit Law of 1822”. They maintained that the history of media in Pakistan has been marked less by regulation and more by restrictions and censorship. They stressed that the curbs imposed on the media must now be lifted, saying that the press was effectively operating under a regime of complete control.

The speakers said that under such suffocating conditions, journalists were being forced to work in an environment where the reporter in search of news often becomes the news himself.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Saeed Ghani said that the state and governments must not only resolve the issues confronting the media sector, but also ensure that the financial and institutional support being given to television channels, newspapers and social media owners translates into meaningful relief for media workers.

He said achieving true and ideal press freedom in Pakistan required the elimination of the wider flaws and distortions embedded in society.

He stressed that genuine democracy cannot flourish unless the judiciary, the media and society as a whole are truly free.

He said that political parties, trade unions, student unions, civil society and all institutions must be free if Pakistan is to move towards an ideal democratic order.

According to him, restrictions on any one of these sectors amount to restrictions on democracy itself.

Mr Ghani said that while much is said about freedom of the press, it is equally important to ask whether the media is itself fulfilling its responsibilities. He remarked that when institutions and individuals are either unable to perform their roles properly or are prevented from doing so, it becomes impossible to move in the right direction.

He urged both media houses and media professionals to become the voice of those whose voices are unheard or unable to reach the corridors of power.

Later, the participants of the convention unanimously demanded the instant clearance of all pending dues and salaries for journalists and media workers, asserting that economic coercion is a direct assault on the independence of the media.

“In conclusion, we declare that journalism is not a crime and that the state cannot suppress the truth by silencing or locking up those who speak it. The current climate of intimidation is fundamentally unsustainable and deeply detrimental to the country’s democratic fabric. This convention stands in total solidarity with the media fraternity, asserting that the protection of free expression is non-negotiable for a functional democracy,” the resolution stated.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2026