Senior anchors challenge PECA 2025 in IHC
Pakistan
Petitioner contends that amendments to law contravene fundamental human rights
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Anchors Association has challenged the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2025 in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Senior anchorpersons Hamid Mir, Nasim Zahra, Adnan Haider and Ameer Abbas have filed the petition through Advocate Riasat Ali Azad, president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, and Advocate Imran Shafiq.
They have requested court to repeal the law.
Amendments to the PECA Amendment Bill 2025 have already been challenged in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Muhammad Qayyum Khan, a citizen, filed the plea a few days ago and made the president, the National Assembly speaker, the Senate chairman and the law secretary respondents.
Also Read: LHC issues notices to federal govt, others on petition against PECA laws
The petitioner contended that the latest amendments to the law contravend fundamental human rights and provisions of the constitution and requested the apex court to declare the amendments null and void and form a full bench to hear the case.
“The court should also take stock of the original PECA,” he demanded.
WHAT’S THE CONTROVERSY?
The amended law has become controversial even before it was enacted. A few days ago President Asif Ali Zardari approved the PECA Amendment Bill 2025 vociferous protests by opposition and journalists.
Earlier, the Senate approved the controversial bill and the Digital Nation Bill 2025 after National Assembly’s nod.
The bills, which kept the government and the opposition at daggers drawn for several days, were moved by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain on behalf of the interior minister.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which is also an ally of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in the Centre, also voted in favour of the bills. The PTI opposed the bills.
