The government’s ally, Mutahidda Qaumi Movement, on Wednesday expressed its reservations over the PECA Act ruing that the government did not take the stakeholders on board regarding the amendments, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Information and Technology Minister Aminul Haque who belongs to the MQM wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan voicing his concern over the PECA Act. He objected that the PTI government did not consult the stakeholders while introducing amendments to the PECA law. He stated that non-bailable arrest and fake news (definition of which has not been elaborated) would create unrest in the country. 

He further wrote that media organizations were turning against the government after the promulgation of the PECA Ordinance. He said his party could not back laws that snubbed basic human rights. 

He hoped that the prime minister would consider his request and bring new amendments after holding consultations with media organizations and other stakeholders. 

Rejecting the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022, or PECA, the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Tuesday demanded the government to withdraw the ordinance. 

In a statement, PBC said the purpose of promulgating the ordinance was to suppress voices of dissent by gagging media and the opposition leaders. 

It reminded that already there existed laws that had been enacted precisely for the protection of the prestige of state institutions. “Lawyers have always supported the freedom of media, and they will not, at any cost, tolerate steps to strangulate it,” reads the statement.

In its statement issued on Tuesday, the Supreme Court Bar Association has also decided to challenge the PECA Ordinance and amendments to the Election Act in a court of law.