LAHORE – A writ petition on Wednesday was moved to the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) just a day after its approval from Upper House in Parliament.
Nadeem Sarwar, a local lawyer, filed the petition and submitted that the PECA is against the freedom of expression.
The petitioner made the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), PTA and others parties to the case. He argued that last week, the National Assembly passed bills related to the PECA Amendment. To fast-track the approval, the Assembly suspended its rules and expedited the process, he said.
He also said that under PECA, there would be a penalty of three years in prison and fines for spreading fake information. In the past, PECA was used as a silent weapon. The addition of new punishments in the PECA Amendment Act, he said, would eliminate the little remaining freedom in the country.
Nadeem Sarwar said that the PECA Bill was introduced without consulting relevant stakeholders and journalistic organizations. The approval of the PECA Amendment Bill would severely impact the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.
The Act is unconstitutional and in conflict with the protection of freedom of expression provided by the Constitution.
He asked the court to declare the PECA Amendment Act unconstitutional and nullify it, and to make any actions taken under the PECA Amendment Act contingent upon the court’s final decision.
