The latest amendment grants the government sweeping powers to censor and criminalize online expression.
This statement was originally published on bytesforall.pk on 29 January 2025.
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and Bytes For All, Pakistan are deeply concerned by the passage of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill (PECA), 2025, and the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024 by Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate.
Journalist bodies across Pakistan had been protesting the PECA amendments after the Senate Standing Committee on Interior hastily approved the bill in just 15 minutes on 27 January 2025. Despite widespread opposition, their concerns were blatantly ignored as the government moved forward with the passage of these laws without meaningful consultation.
Internet governance in Pakistan continues to lack transparency and accountability, reflecting a persistent disregard for inclusive and participatory policymaking.
These laws constitute a grave threat to fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, access to information, and right to privacy. They institutionalize Pakistan’s troubling shift towards digital authoritarianism and represent yet another assault on civic space.
Systemic Decline of Fundamental Freedoms
FORUM-ASIA has documented Pakistan’s alarming tendency to weaponize laws in its Repressive Law Monitoring Report 2023, highlighting the systematic use of legal frameworks to curtail fundamental freedoms. The country’s ban on X (formerly Twitter) and the acquisition of an expensive web management system underscore the growing efforts to monitor and control digital spaces. Additionally, deliberate internet slowdowns and blackouts have tightened the state’s grip on online civil and political rights.
“The process of internet governance in Pakistan has been inherently non-inclusive, deviating significantly from global internet governance norms. While internet governance is a multistakeholder process, successive governments in Pakistan have repeatedly introduced repressive laws to control digital spaces without consulting key stakeholders – such as civil society, media and the tech community,” said Shahzad Ahmad, Country Director at Bytes for All.
In recent years, Pakistan has witnessed a sustained and systemic erosion of fundamental freedoms. The state has imposed severe restrictions on peaceful assembly and expression, carried out arbitrary arrests, and enforced repressive laws to suppress dissent. Journalists have faced abduction, physical assault, and censorship while dissenting voices – including political opposition and activists – have been systematically silenced through bans, imprisonment, and targeted legal harassment.
“The expanded criminalization of online content, coupled with unchecked regulatory powers, creates a chilling effect on free speech. This particularly targets journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society actors who rely on digital platforms to hold those in power accountable,” said Mary Aileen Diez Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.
The proposed amendments to PECA and the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill intensify these repressive tendencies, imposing unprecedented risks to digital rights and fundamental freedoms in Pakistan.
Repressive Digital Legislations
Since its enactment in 2016, PECA has been weaponized to suppress dissent and stifle critical voices. Its broad and ambiguous provisions have long enabled arbitrary targeting of journalists, human rights defenders, and political opposition.
The latest PECA Amendment Bill grants the government sweeping powers to censor and criminalize online expression. Section 26(A) introduces harsh penalties, including imprisonment of up to three years and fines of up to USD 7,000, for disseminating “fake news” online. However, the vague and overbroad language fails to define “false or fake information”, leaving the door open for politically motivated prosecutions and further silencing dissent.
The proposed establishment of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority is even more alarming. This authority would have blanket control to regulate, block, and censor online content without any judicial oversight. Any content deemed “against the ideology of Pakistan” or critical of state institutions could be removed arbitrarily. Social media platforms would face arduous enlisting requirements and be compelled to comply with takedown orders within 24 hours. Additionally, the bill proposes the creation of a Social Media Protection Tribunal to handle cases related to online content, granting the federal government unchecked authority to appoint and remove tribunal members. These measures effectively bypass due process, eliminate accountability mechanisms, and undermine the rule of law.
The Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024, exacerbates concerns of unchecked state overreach. By centralizing citizens’ digital identities and governance data, the bill establishes an invasive framework for mass surveillance and data misuse, directly infringing on the right to privacy. Provisions restricting streaming or publication of parliamentary proceedings and statements of proscribed organizations further curtail access to information, weaken transparency, and undermine democratic accountability.
These laws directly contravene Pakistan’s constitutional guarantees, particularly under Article 19 (Freedom of Expression) and Article 19A (Right to Information). They also violate Pakistan’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Pakistan is a state party.
“These laws are blatant tools of repression, weaponizing ambiguity to crush dissent and silence criticism. They signify Pakistan’s alarming progression towards digital authoritarianism. Such measures do nothing to protect national security – they dismantle civic space, trample fundamental freedoms, and erode public trust in democratic governance,” said Bacalso.
Call to Action
FORUM-ASIA and Bytes for All strongly urge the Government of Pakistan to immediately repeal the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024. The government must engage in meaningful and inclusive consultations with relevant stakeholders – journalists, civil society, digital rights experts – to ensure any legislation affecting digital freedoms and civic space aligns with international human rights standards.
Furthermore, the State must end the misuse of legal frameworks, including PECA, as tools to suppress dissent, silence independent media, and stifle civic space. Pakistan must take decisive steps to uphold its constitutional guarantees and international obligations to protect freedom of expression, privacy, and access to information.
Without urgent action, these legislative measures will further cement a repressive regime that erodes fundamental rights, violates international human rights standards, and deepens Pakistan’s troubling slide into authoritarianism.
