Islamabad, Dec 24 The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) organised a roundtable meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday, where speakers reiterated the suffocating impact of Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 and highlighted structural constraints to press freedom in the country.
The meeting drew attention to the impact of subsequent amendments to PECA on ordinary citizens and called for a broad civil society coalition to defend freedom of digital expression in Pakistan.
According to the HRCP, several participants in the meeting shared personal experiences of harassment, with one journalist recounting threats and intimidation by officials of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), raising concerns about corruption and the lack of accountability within enforcement bodies.
Addressing the event, President Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ ), Afzal Butt, "reaffirmed the need for principled opposition to such rights-curtailing laws, proposing direct dialogue" with Pakistani authorities to "distinguish reasonable regulation from repression".
Meanwhile, veteran journalist and HRCP Council member Nasir Zaidi noted that Pakistan's approach to speech has “historically been restrictive, with laws designed to control narratives rather than protect constitutional rights.”
Additionally, Pakistani journalist Akbar Notezai stated that newspapers in Balochistan province depended heavily on state advertising, making "editorial independence increasingly untenable".
Another journalist, Matiullah Jan, stressed that any involvement of other security agencies in PECA-based FIA investigations risked abuse.
"Lawyers and journalists, including Saqib Bashir and Asad Toor emphasised the importance of coordinated, evidence-based litigation across multiple courts in PECA-related cases, but argued that legal avenues alone were insufficient and must be complemented by transparent public debate and collective resistance to these laws," HRCP stated.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi agreed that resisting laws that restrict press freedom across the country was necessary.
Concluding the roundtable, former senator and HRCP Council member Farhatullah Babar proposed the formation of pro bono legal teams to address due-process violations under the PECA laws, along with structured engagement with political parties on the issue. The proposal was endorsed by the Rawalpindi Journalists Union President, Tariq Ali.
"Babar also suggested that officials responsible for abusing these laws should be publicly identified," the HRCP added
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