On April 02, a convention on media laws, regulation, and ethics held at the Karachi Press Club unanimously rejected the amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2025, labelling them as oppressive and designed to stifle journalistic freedom.
The gathering, organised by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ), also passed a resolution demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all cases against journalists under Peca.
The convention, attended by Senator Raza Rabbani, a wide array of journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, and legal experts, highlighted the challenges faced by the media in Pakistan, describing the current period as one of unprecedented difficulty. The speakers noted that between 30 and 34 laws could potentially be used against the media, with PECA being the most detrimental, likened to the historical Permit Law of 1822 known for its restrictive nature.
The attendees voiced their concerns over the economic pressures on media workers, exacerbated by government policies, and called for the clearance of all pending dues and salaries. They argued that financial hardship was another method used to undermine media freedom.
Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani emphasized the need for the government to not only address the challenges faced by the media sector but to ensure that financial and institutional support extended to media owners effectively trickles down to media workers. He highlighted that true press freedom and a flourishing democracy require the unfettered functioning of all societal pillars, including the judiciary and media.
The resolutions adopted at the convention urged the government to cease using advertising policies to pressure media organisations and called for a transparent review of PECA within the relevant committees of the National Assembly and the Senate. They also demanded the reopening of debate on recent stringent defamation legislation in Punjab, perceived as another attempt to curtail journalistic activities.
The convention stood in solidarity with the media fraternity, asserting the non-negotiable nature of free expression for a functional democracy and declaring that journalism is not a crime. The participants stressed that the state could not suppress the truth by silencing those who speak it and that the current climate of intimidation was unsustainable and harmful to the country’s democratic fabric.
