NA passes PECA amendment bill amid opposition protest
Pakistan
The bill aims to regulate social media and online content in the country.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The National Assembly Thursday passed the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2025, also known as the PECA bill, with a majority vote.
The amendment bill was approved within minutes after Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain presented it as the opposition parties had already staged a walkout.
Journalists also staged a walkout from the press gallery in protest of the bill’s passage.
The bill aims to regulate social media and online content in the country.
According to the bill, a new authority called the Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA) will be established to regulate online content and protect users' digital rights.
The DRPA will have the power to remove online content, block access to prohibited or obscene material, and take action against individuals who share such content.
Read also: More changes to PECA on the cards
The bill also defines social media platforms and includes websites, applications, and communication channels. The DRPA will be responsible for promoting digital literacy, research, and social media platforms and ensuring users' online safety and security.
The authority will also be able to register social media platforms and set conditions for their operation in Pakistan.
The bill also introduces new penalties for spreading false information online, including a three-year prison sentence and a Rs2 million fine.
A Social Media Protection Tribunal will be established to hear cases related to online content. The tribunal will be required to dispose of cases within 90 days.
The bill also provides for establishing a National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency to investigate cybercrime cases.
The passage of the bill has been met with opposition from journalists and critics, who argue that it will restrict freedom of expression and give excessive powers to the authorities to censor online content.
