Pakistan Press Foundation
04 Mar 2025

Held at the SCBA head office in, chaired by SCBA President Rauf Atta, the meeting unanimously passed a resolution condemning the PECA (Amendment) Act, 2025, disapproving it for being a “defective legislation” and a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution. The resolution further stated that the amendments infringe upon the rights of media professionals under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), of which Pakistan is a signatory.

The meeting was attended by SCBA President Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta and other office bearers and prominent journalists and media professionals including Munizae Jehangir, Hamid Mir, Mazhar Abbas, Arshad Ansari, Zahid Hussain, and Arifa Noor as well as others.

Concerns were raised over vague definitions in the amended law, particularly the lack of clear definitions for words like “false” and “fake.” The meeting also pointed out the broad interpretation of “any person/individual” and the unclear definition of the place of occurrence, warning that such provisions could lead to multiple FIRs being registered on different places for a single incident. The participants stressed the importance of independent tribunals free from executive influence.

The gathering reaffirmed the media as the fourth pillar of the state and warned that curbing press freedom threatens democracy and transparency. It also expressed concern over increasing digital censorship, including social media crackdowns and restrictive content regulation policies. They said that cybercrime and media regulation laws should be in line with: Constitutional protections, democratic values, and international covenants of which Pakistan is a signatory.