Islamabad: The journalist community, on the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), staged protests nationwide against the controversial PECA Amendment Bill. Demonstrations were held in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, and other cities, with journalist leaders rejecting the amendments and terming them an attack on press freedom.
In Karachi, a large number of journalists, along with representatives from civil society, labor unions, lawyers, and political parties, participated in the protest. The demonstrators carried banners and placards with slogans opposing the PECA amendments.
Similarly, in Lahore, journalists gathered outside the Punjab Assembly to voice their disapproval of the bill. Members of the Punjab Union of Journalists and other media organizations, along with lawyers and civil society representatives, participated in significant numbers. Protesters accused the government of unlawfully passing the amendments.
In Islamabad, the journalist community staged a demonstration outside the National Press Club. Speakers at the protest highlighted that the amendments have tightened cybercrime laws, viewing them as a direct assault on freedom of expression and press independence. They warned that the amendments could be misused to shield the government from criticism. Journalists demanded the immediate withdrawal of the bill.
Protests were also reported in Quetta, Faisalabad, Bahawalnagar, and other cities, where journalists described the PECA Amendment Bill as a threat to press freedom.
The controversy escalated after the Senate approved the PECA Amendment Bill today, following its passage in the National Assembly. Opposition lawmakers reacted strongly, tearing up copies of the agenda in protest. Journalists, too, staged a walkout from the press gallery.
The bill, initially passed by the National Assembly on Thursday, was sent to the Senate, where it was referred to the Standing Committee before being approved by a majority vote.
Journalist organizations, including the PFUJ, All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), and the Joint Action Committee (JAC), representing various press rights groups, issued a joint statement condemning the amendments. They called for the government to reconsider its stance and safeguard the freedom of the press in Pakistan.
