Under the auspices of the 27th Cabinet of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (SCBAP), a consultative meeting was held at the SCBAP head office in Islamabad to discuss the topic "Media Under Threat: Challenges Faced by Media Personnel Post-PECA (Amendment) Act, 2025."
The meeting was chaired by Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta, President of SCBAP, and attended by prominent legal and media figures, including Muhammad Nadeem Qureshi (Senior Vice President), Muhammad Ishaq Notezai (Vice President Baluchistan), Muhammad Aurangzeb Khan (Acting Secretary), Ch. Tanveer Akhtar (Finance Secretary), Mr. Muneer Ahmed Malik, Ms. Ayesha Malik, Mr. Hamood Ur Rehman Awan, Mr. Khalil Panezai (Member Baluchistan Bar Council), and Mr. Hafiz Ahsan Khokhar. Renowned journalists such as Munizae Jahangir, Hamid Mir, and Matiullah Jan also participated.
The meeting unanimously passed the following resolutions:
RESOLUTIONS
- The consultative meeting emphasises that freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy and must be safeguarded against all forms of coercion.
- The meeting condemns and disapproves of the PECA (Amendment) Act, 2025, as defective legislation, considering it a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression.
- The meeting holds that the PECA (Amendment) Act, 2025, infringes upon the rights of media personnel as protected under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Pakistan is a signatory.
- The meeting asserts that the amendments to the PECA Act, 2025, contravene fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution and violate principles of natural justice, including due process and the right to a fair trial under Articles 4, 9, and 10-A of the Constitution.
- The meeting calls upon the government to repeal the amendments to the PECA Act and urges an immediate end to restrictions on independent journalism.
- The meeting finds the definition of certain clauses in the amendments ambiguous and not expressly defined by the legislature. Terms such as "false" and "fake" lack clear definitions, and the phrase "any person/individual" has a broad interpretation that should be limited to the aggrieved person or victim. The unclear definition of the place of occurrence could lead to multiple FIRs being registered for a single incident. Additionally, the meeting stressed that tribunals should be free from executive influence.
- The meeting acknowledges the media as the fourth pillar of the state and reaffirms its strong support for independent journalism and the protection of media personnel, warning that any attempt to curtail media freedom threatens democratic values and transparency.
- The meeting asserts that laws governing cybercrime and media regulation must align with constitutional protections, democratic norms, and international covenants to which Pakistan is a signatory.
- The meeting expresses concern over increasing censorship in digital spaces, including social media crackdowns and content regulation policies that limit free speech, defamation laws, and civil rights.
- The SCBAP reiterated its commitment to defending media freedom and urged the government to reconsider the amendments to the PECA Act to ensure the protection of journalists and uphold democratic principles.