The Senate on Tuesday passed controversial amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) Bill, 2025, amid a walkout by journalists from the press gallery and protests by the opposition.
The amendments adds Section 26(A) to Peca, which seeks to penalise perpetrators of “fake news” online. It says anyone who intentionally spreads, displays, or transmits false information likely to cause fear, panic, or unrest in society may face up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to Rs2 million, or both. The bill now awaits the president’s assent to become law.
The bill was moved by Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain on behalf of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
As the bill was introduced, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Shibli Faraz, spoke out against it, highlighting that the laws were made to protect people, while the purpose of said bill was “to target a specific political party”.
“When a new law is introduced, its intent is scrutinised. Whether it’s social media or any other medium, it should operate within specific boundaries,” Faraz said. “The purpose of this bill is to target a specific political party.”
He added: “Laws are made to protect people, not to oppress them. It takes time to craft a law properly.”
Faraz appeared to be referring to the manner in which the National Assembly rushed the contentious amendments to Peca last week, which drew opposition protests and triggered a walkout by journalists. PPP members had voiced their support during the voting.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain replied to the senator after the bill was passed, saying that the bill was neither set in stone, nor was it aimed at journalists.
“This law will not deal with TV newspapers but social media,” he said, adding that it also “can be improved”.
“Journalists have nothing to do with this bill,” he added.
According to the report issued by the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, the bill “primarily seeks to modernise … the legislative framework for combating cybercrimes in Pakistan”, while the interior secretary emphasised that the bill was written in good faith and aimed to “protect the general public … and to make the in-field act more effective to protect people’s rights”.
After the committee’s approval, now only the senators have to vote for the bill to be sent to the president who would sign it into law.
In Section 26A of the amended law, the term has been explained as any information disseminated by a person that “he knows or has reason to believe to be false or fake and likely to cause or create a sense of fear, panic or disorder or unrest in general public or society”.
