PECA Amendment Act riddled with errors, say lawyers

The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act or PECA Amendments 2025, rushed into law earlier this year, is replete with errors that include incorrect section numbering and contradictory definitions, the Islamabad High Court was told, during a hearing filed by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and other media professionals.

Imran Shafique, a lawyer working on behalf of the petition filers, argued that the speed at which the PECA Amendments had been passed meant that not only were sections numbered incorrectly, but that errors such as, for example “complainant” being defined more than once twice, resulted in the Act “contradicting itself”, according to The News International. Mr. Shafique also said that the “complaint authority” which was established through PECA was already in existence under the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority. Islamabad High Court Bar Association President Riyasat Ali Azad also argued that the PECA Amendment Act was in violation of Articles 19 and 19A of the Constitution of Pakistan.