Islamabad, Jan 4: Amendments to Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) were introduced in an opaque manner and passed by Parliament in January last year without meaningful consultations or debate, a rights activist has said. Despite assurances from Senators that the amended law would not target journalists, evidence from its implementation shows otherwise, highlighting its chilling effect on media, lawyers, and civil society.
Usama Khilji, Director of Bolo Bhi, an advocacy forum for digital rights, noted in a report in Dawn that the 2025 amendments caused “wide-ranging procedural and substantive changes” that have been highly damaging. Cases have been filed against lawyers, journalists, and activists, while citizens face barriers in filing complaints due to the National Cybercrime Investigation Authority’s (NCCIA) limited 15 reporting centres and mandatory in-person reporting. The 2025 amendment reversed a December 2023 change that allowed complaints under Peca to be filed at any police station.
Khilji added that the amended law allows the state, through NCCIA, to prosecute anyone critical of government policies. Several journalists, including Raftar founder Farhan Mallick and Hum News reporter Khalid Jamil, were arrested under Peca in 2025. Other cases targeted individuals reporting on alleged corruption, while an Islamabad court ordered the blocking of 27 YouTube channels for “anti-Pakistan” content, some of which were later suspended after appeals.
The law has also been used against human rights lawyers. Cases against Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha involve tweets on human rights, enforced disappearances, and legal issues, illustrating how ordinary reporting has become grounds for prosecution. Khilji highlighted that, in cross-examinations, NCCIA officials admitted that government representatives are permitted to make the same statements for which citizens face legal action.
Khilji concluded that in such an environment, journalists and lawyers are treated as heroes for merely performing their duties, exposing the risks posed by a parliament passing laws without deliberation, an executive targeting citizens, and a judiciary failing to safeguard fundamental rights.
