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       ？ Petitioners call amendments a threat to free speech

       ？ Federal and provincial govts made parties to the case

       ISLAMABAD: The Is--lamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday sought proposals from the journalist bodies to help regulate social media, during the hearing of the petitions filed against the Pre-vention of Electronic Cri-mes Act (Peca).

       IHC Jus-tice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas also requested assistance in reviewing the existing and previous legal frameworks used to counter fake and defamatory news items.

       Justice Minhas comm-e-nced hearings a set of consolidated petitions cha--llenging the Peca Amend-ment Act 2025. The petitions were filed by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), senior anchorperson Hamid Mir, and the Islamabad High Court Journalists As----soc-ia-tion, all of whom have rai-sed serious concerns over the new amendments, calling them a threat to freedom of expression and press freedom in the country.

       During the hearing, pe--titioners’ counsels — Ria-sat Ali Azad, Imran Sha-fiq, Dr Yasir Aman Khan and others — appeared be--f-ore the court, while Ad--ditional Attorney Gen-eral Rashid Hafeez and other law officers represented the federal government.

       The court was informed that all parties had submitted their replies. The federal government’s counsel noted that the provincial governments had also been made parties to the case. In response, lawyer Imran Shafiq clarified that an earlier objection raised by the Registrar’s Office in this regard had been addressed.

       Justice Minhas then instructed the petitioners’ lawyers to begin presenting their arguments. Dr Yasir Aman Khan, counsel for PFUJ, opened the arguments by giving the historical background of the Peca law.

       He told the court that the original act was promulgated in 2016, while the 2025 amendment introduced significant changes — including the establishment of a Social Media Complaints Council and the removal or alteration of several clauses from the 2016 version.

       Justice Minhas rem-ar-ked that the petitioners must explain both the prior legal framework and the nature of changes introduced through the amendment to help the court understand the full context and implications. Dr Khan also cited various judicial precedents to support his case.

       Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025