May 16, 2025
By Rehan Piracha and Rana Malhi
ISLAMABAD
The amended Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2025, has come under renewed scrutiny following a series of cases lodged against political activists, journalists, and social media users in Mardan, Mingora, and Islamabad. Critics argue the law is increasingly being weaponized to silence political dissent, while government supporters maintain it is necessary to maintain national security and public order.
Crackdown in Mardan on activists
In Mardan, police have registered a case under PECA against eight individuals, primarily Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists, for allegedly using “harsh words” against the Pakistan Army and the army chief on social media platforms.
According to police officials, Muhammad Karim, Additional Station House Officer (SHO) of the City Police Station, filed a first information report (FIR) against Fawad Ahmed from Lundkhwar, Nouman Khan and Sardar Azam Khan from Garhi Kapura, Roman Shah from Takhtbhai, Muhammad Anwar from Rustam, Khalil-ur-Rehman from Shahbaz Garhi, Hazrat Hussain from Gujarat, and Anwar Shah from Katlang.
Sources confirmed that most of those charged are affiliated with the opposition party PTI. The accusations revolve around Facebook posts that authorities deemed derogatory toward military leadership.
Journalist arrested in Swat
The journalists’ community in Malakand Division has mobilized in protest following the arrest of their colleague, Haider Ali Jan, under the PECA Act in Swat’s Khwazakhela area.
The arrest has triggered widespread demonstrations across the division, with journalists demanding both the repeal of the PECA Act and the cancellation of the FIR against Jan.
During Jan’s court appearance, fellow journalists including Essa Khankhel, Shahzad Alam, Ghafoor Khan Adil, Shah Asad Ali, and Murad Ali Khan expressed solidarity and pledged their continued support. The Malakand Union of Journalists has alleged that the FIR was motivated by “personal vendetta” and vowed to maintain their protest movement until Jan is released and the PECA Act is repealed.
NCCIA lodges cases against journalists
In Islamabad, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has launched what it calls a “momentous crackdown” on individuals allegedly conducting a “malicious online campaign” against state institutions.
Cases have been registered against five individuals identified as Adil Raja, Moeed Pirzada, Muhammad Umar, Muhammad Nazir Butt (based in Pakistan), and Ahmad Noorani. Additionally, legal proceedings have been initiated under PECA against several social media accounts for allegedly circulating “indecent and provocative posts” directed at the Pakistan Army and the chief of army staff.
The NCCIA claims these accounts were “actively spreading statements and content deemed to pose a significant risk of inciting public unrest, eroding public trust in national institutions, and potentially compromising national security,” particularly amid tensions with India. The agency stated it has gathered “substantial evidence” against these accounts and obtained detailed information about the individuals operating them.
‘PTI activists facing political victimisation’
Senator Ali Zafar of PTI has condemned what he describes as “political victimization” against party leaders and workers, calling the cases “fabricated” and “built purely on political grounds.” He warned that continuing this trend would cause “irreparable damage to the fragile environment of national unity.”
Zafar expressed particular concern over the increasing pressure on journalists under the PECA law. “When this law was being drafted, we had forewarned that it would be used to suppress dissent,” he stated. “The government claimed it was only meant to counter anti-Pakistan content, but in practice, it is being used to crush opposing voices.”
PTI Senator Saifullah Abro characterized the situation as “state oppression that escalated after April 10, 2022,” and described the targeting of journalists as “a dangerous norm—unacceptable in any functioning democracy.” He lamented that “the exodus of senior anchors from TV and the country is a tragedy for the younger generation.”
‘PECA law not person-specific’
Meanwhile the State Minister for Religious Affairs Kheal Das Kohistani defended the amendments in the PECA Act.
“This law is not for any specific group but for the protection of all of Pakistan. It can be applied to me, to you—every citizen must respect the law, ” he told Voicepk.
Kohistani argued that if false news threatens social or national harmony, no law in the world permits unchecked freedom to spread such content.
“We need a system of checks and balances to distinguish truth from lies and promote responsible freedom of expression in society,” he added.
Growing concerns over press freedom
The increasing use of PECA against journalists has raised alarms about the state of press freedom in Pakistan. Media rights advocates point to the arrest of Haider Ali Jan and cases against other journalists as evidence of a shrinking space for independent reporting.
The Malakand Union of Journalists has specifically voiced concerns that the PECA Act is “being used to silence journalists and suppress freedom of expression,” a sentiment echoed by international press freedom organizations monitoring the situation.
As cases continue to mount, the debate over the balance between national security concerns and freedom of expression rights shows no signs of abating, with opposition figures and journalists calling for urgent reforms to the controversial legislation.