On Wednesday (January 29), Pakistan’s President misused the government that the church and rights leaders persecute the persecution news online or could not stop such an incident. Digital crimes that fear to be done have signed the law.
An important provision of an electronic crime prevention (correction) bill 2025 (PECA) is the establishment of the Digital Rights Protection Bureau (DRPA), which is in charge of regulations on social media platforms and illegal content. DRPA has the authority to investigate complaints, delete content, and implement digital ethics.
Church leaders, rights activists, and journalists believe that they need to fight fake news and hate speeches on the Internet, but the potential censorship and incorrect use of laws that resemble the extensive abuse of ASP’s law. We are warning about.
Bishops of Azad Marshall in the Pakistani Church agree to regulate social media to suppress hate speech and fake news, but should be abused to sacrifice innocent people. He said not.
“Our people are already struggling with the false accusations of the accuser,” said Marshall to Christian Daily Morning Star News. “If this new law is also abused, it will lead to more damage of our people.”
Authorities believe that emphasizing these incidents will bring bad names to the country, so there are restrictions that the mainstream media have already been declared because they report issues related to the persecution of minority.
“The news of violent attack on Christians in Jangwara in August 2023 is too large to ignore or neglect, so we are heading for the mainstream media,” he said. “Because the mainstream media compromise, social media has become an effective tool for people to express their opinions and report persecution cases. We think that people express their perspectives. We are concerned that new laws may be abused. “
Church leaders, rights activists, and journalists have accused the laws that have room for discussions, and, as in news related to ethnic minorities, exploits criticism of rebel criticism. President Asif Ali Zardari signed the law after the approval by the two councils, despite the intense opposition between the rights and journalist organizations.
Acer Salfraz, the true mental chairman of Christian, stated that this group supported the regulation as a deterrent of the spread of RAMP in the social media, but reflected Marshall’s concerns. 。
“False news is a big challenge around the world, but it cannot ignore the risk of innocent people, even in unintended incorrect information,” said Salfraz, Christian Daily International Morning. He told Star News.
He said that he would have a balance with the checks regarding government surveillance and criminal crime accomplices, saying, “We support the deterrence, but we need to deal with laughter.”
Facebook, Tiktok, and WhatsApp are one of the most popular Social Media Platforms in Pakistan, and low digital literacy promotes the spread of information, conspiracy theory, and deep fake.
What is Peka?
Electronic criminal prevention (correction) 2025 has introduced serious penalties, including fines in prison for up to three years and fines of 2 million Rupies (US $ 7,186). It is false or fake, causing fear, panic, obstacles, or anxiety, or created. “
New law states that social media platforms must be registered with a newly established regulatory organization, and compliance can lead to temporary or permanent ban. In addition, Pakistan’s Intelligence report is granted the authority to investigate fake information and allows citizens to file a lawsuit.
“There were one after another, which was introduced in public interest or national security,” said Digital Right Actor Naigat Daddy. She said that the real intention was to “integrate power and control the story.”
The Pakistan Human Rights Committee (HRCP) also expressed concerns about the law. In a statement on January 23, the committee said, “The rope is definitely” press advice “calculated as” press advice “, and it seems that it seems to be designed to control digital freedom. The gust of change was calculated. “
Journalist organizations argue that this amendment is called “Draconia Law” and aims to limit the freedom of speech. On Tuesday (January 28), protests were organized in various major cities, including Lahor, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta.
At Arshad Ansari, Secretary -General of Pakistan Federal Journalist (PFUJ), working on a protest rally in Laahor expressed concern about the adverse effect on the bill and the freedom of the press. The ensemble said that the bill directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Information Technology was approved without proper consultation with the Ministry of Information.
“The Ministry of Information was involved with us, but the Ministry of Home Affairs and the IT Ministry made this bill forward without considering our opinions,” he said.
Under the question of the urgency behind the fix, the ensari said, “What kind of emergency has caused the emergency situation that they feel the need to squeeze journalism and suppress freedom in the press?” I asked.
PFUJ and journalist organizations have vowed to continue fighting with the correction, demanding withdrawal, and seeking more broad consultations with stakeholders to protect constitutional rights for freedom of expression. Pakistan was ranked 152 out of 180 countries, edited by reporters without borders.
At least 239 cases of journalists who were accused of spreading “fake news” have been recorded in South Asia and Southeast Asia since 2018.
In Pakistan, even in front of the new law, journalists were arrested based on the terrorist methods of civil rights monitors and were used as an objection.
Pakistan was ranked 8th in the 2024 World Watch List, the most difficult place to become a Christian.
