Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and others move Lahore High Court against PECA

Opposition Leader of the Punjab Assembly, Ahmed Bachhar, and others filed the petition against the PECA Act 2025 through lawyer Azhar Siddique. In the petition, the provincial government, the Chief Secretary, and others have been named as respondents. The petitioners insisted that the PECA Amendment Act breaches Article 19-A of the Constitution.

The petition stated that Act does not define "fake news", permitting authorities to describe any news as fake and take action as per political grounds. According to the petition, the amended act requires journalists to reveal their news sources, which is a breach of journalistic ethics.

The petition urged the court to declare the PECA Amendment Act unconstitutional and annul it. Furthermore, the petition requested the court to stop any actions under the act until a final decision is taken over it, The Express Tribune reported.

Earlier on Friday, a division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) requested more arguments on the admissibility of a petition against PECA, while another petition was registered in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the legislation.

The SHC bench, led by Chief Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, took up the petition against PECA amendments. Petitioner's lawyer, Barrister Ali Tahir told the bench that they had challenged sections 2R and 26A of PECA, The Express Tribune reported.

According to the lawyer, the Section 26A criminalised the sharing and receipt of information by calling it "fake and false." The lawyer said that sections G and H of the act used the words "false, fake and misrepresentation" in a very vague manner.

Previously, a petition was filed in Pakistan's Supreme Court challenging the recent amendment to the PECA over concerns regarding the impact on freedom of speech and human rights.

Earlier this week, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) filed a lawsuit in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday against the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025 (PECA law). PFUJ President Afzal Butt, who described the act as an assault on media freedom, brought the complaint through Advocate Imran Shafique, Geo News reported.

"The PECA (Amendment) Act is unconstitutional and illegal, hence, the court should conduct a judicial review on it," the plea read as cited by Geo News. The opposition parties, journalists, and media outlets criticized the lack of consultations and the terms of the PECA law, which was already problematic after the ruling coalition swiftly passed the controversial modifications from the National Assembly and the Senate.

In the petition, the journalists' organization said that the Peca (Amendment) 2025 expanded governmental control and curtailed free speech as reported by Geo News. According to the report, the Peca law also violates Articles 19 and 19(A) of the Constitution. It argued that the statute ought to be suspended as a result."

According to the PFUJ, the law violated both Pakistani digital rights and international human rights.Shafique claimed that because the government aimed to stifle free speech, the law limited the freedom of the media. (ANI)