PECA controversy: President Zardari delays signing following media outcry
Islamabad: In response to journalistic concerns, President Asif Ali Zardari has chosen to postpone signing the contentious Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
Through Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Parliamentary Reporter Association (PRA) voiced their objection to the PECA Act. Rehman contacted President Zardari and requested that he postpone signing the measure until the issues raised by media were resolved.
All stakeholders were supposed to be consulted, but that didn’t happen, PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman told reporters in Islamabad on Tuesday. She gave reporters her word that the PPP would back any legal changes put forth by media groups.
Rehman’s worries were mirrored by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who said that it would have been preferable if journalist groups had been consulted in order to come to an agreement on the legislation.
In order to combat cybercrime and control electronic communication in Pakistan, the PECA law was passed in 2025. Its goal was to combat internet crimes like cyberbullying, data theft, and hacking. Nonetheless, a number of media outlets and journalists have voiced worries regarding the law’s effects on freedom of expression and the press.
“The government must learn from the past, as this law was used against the same party that rushed to pass it,” said Mazhar Abbas, a senior member of the PFUJ.
