It is not a new thing in Pakistan that journalists are facing life and job safety problems against which the working journalists complaining form the government. Form today the journalists of the country will be on the roads against the PECA act, according to the PFUJ, that black law is against the freedom of expression and basic human rights of the citizens.
Today the UJ, S of different capital cities will observe protests against that controversial law making. In the protests the members of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists will portray thier demonands against amendments in the Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). According to the law in the case of misconduct state will not only arrest any journalist but also will imprisonment for three years and such person can fine up to 2 million.
Here the government and journalists union have deferent opinions about the amended law. The government stance is that law could not be use against any citizen without proof but the Pakistan federal union of journalist stance is that in the past article 19 of the constitution of the state was also used agaist the journalist in different eras of marshal laws and political administration. Therefor there is always a possibility of miss using of such power full law. So it is the need of the time that those articles could remove form the said law.
According to the reports the journalist bodies announced observing a “Black Day” against the recent controversial amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016 on Friday.
This development came a day after President Asif Ali Zardari assented to the contentious Peca (Amendment) Bill 2025 amid uproar by the opposition and journalist fraternity.
It is also on record that Earlier, the controversial bill sailed through the Senate and the National Assembly amid protests by journalists and the opposition.
In a statement, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), said that black flags would be hoisted at press clubs across the county and in the union’s offices.
PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary Arshad Ansari, in a joint statement, said that the journalists would hold rallies against the controversial amendments to the Peca Act today.
They said that the journalists would perform their professional responsibilities by wearing black armbands to record their protest, adding that the federal government and parliament did not consult the stakeholders on the bill.
Expressing their annoyance over the presidential nod to the contentious amendments, the PFUJ leaders said the president approved the bill without giving them an opportunity to clear their stance on the matter.
“A press freedom movement has been launched,” they said, adding that the PFUJ would issue a call for a sit-in outside the Parliament House against the “black law”.
Journalists’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) — comprising Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), All Pakistan Newspapers Society, Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) and Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) — endorsed the PFUJ’s call for the nationwide protest.
The JAC was of the view that the controversial bill was approved without listening to journalist organizations and the stakeholders.
In a declaration, the JAC categorically rejected the fresh contentious amendments to cybercrime laws and vowed to launch a vigorous public and legal struggle against the act.
It said that they were contacting civil societies, human rights organizations, lawyer bodies and other stakeholders. The JAC further said that it would move the court against the fresh amendments to Peca, adding that they were consulting with legal experts to file a petition in the court in this regard.
If we look at the whole scenario, now the ball is in the court of the collation govrnment to milled that situation by amend controversial clause, that is the only way for the face saving a democratic government-because it not a good gesture for the political government to make obstacles in the way of basic human rights.
