National Assembly approves Peca Act 2025

The National Assembly approved the Prevention of Electronic Crime (Amendment) Act, 2025 on Thursday, drawing intense criticism from press organisations. Reporters also staged a walkout from the press gallery during the proceedings.

The amendment bill was presented by Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer. 

However, Pakistan People’s Party leader Shazia Murree noted that the journalists walked out of the gallery and requested Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to ascertain the reasons behind their protest. 

The Joint Action Committee, consisting of representatives from journalist organisations, including PFUJ, APNS, CPNC, AMEND, and PBA, rejected the bill, asserting that the amendments to the Peca Act were made without their consultations.

The committee indicated that they have not yet been provided with a draft.

What are the key amendements?

The bill stated that anyone who spread fake news would be convicted for three years with a fine of Rs2,000,000. 

Under Section A of the bill, the government will establish a Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority at both the central and provincial levels. This authority will have the power to approve or revoke the registration of social media platforms.

The authority will instruct the relevant department to remove specific content from social media. However, anyone affected by the content must file a complaint with the authorities within 24 hours.

According to the amendment bill, the authority will comprise nine members, with the Home Secretary, Chairman PTA, and Chairman PEMRA serving as its members. 

Also check: PM Shehbaz approves PECA amendment draft to regulate digital media

A person holding a bachelor’s degree and possessing at least 15 years of experience in the relevant field will be appointed as the chairman of the authority. The chairman and five members will serve a tenure of five years.

The government also decided include journalists in the authority. Alongside the ex-officio members, at least five journalists with 10 years of experience, a software engineer, a lawyer, a social media professional, and an IT expert will be part of the committee.

To implement the amendment act, the federal government will establish a Social Media Protection Tribunal, and the chairman of the tribunal will be a former High Court judge.