ISLAMABAD — On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Senate approved a contentious bill that its critics claim aims to curtail freedom of expression in the country.
The legislation, which had previously passed the National Assembly last week, equips the government with significant authority to impose heavy penalties and potentially imprison social media users found guilty of disseminating false information.
In response to the bill’s passage, journalists organized protests in major urban areas such as Islamabad, Karachi, Faisalabad, and Lahore. They pledged to resist any government measures perceived as threats to free speech.
With the Senate’s approval, the bill now moves to President Asif Ali Zardari, who is expected to approve it promptly.
According to the provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, authorities are set to establish an agency granted power to swiftly block content deemed “unlawful and offensive” on social media platforms. This could include material critical of the judiciary, the military, parliament, or provincial assemblies.
Users who do not adhere to these directives may face temporary or permanent bans from social media. Furthermore, the law labels the act of spreading disinformation as a criminal offense, which carries a potential sentence of three years in prison alongside a hefty fine of 2 million rupees (approximately $7,150).
The bill’s recent developments follow a wave of opposition protests before its passage in the National Assembly. On Tuesday, Shibli Faraz, an opposition member in the Senate, criticized the expedited nature of the bill’s approval and highlighted the lack of consultations with relevant stakeholders.
Zulfiqar Bukhari, a spokesperson for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, expressed intentions for their political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to contest the legislation in court. He remarked, “This bill has been approved by both houses of parliament as a means to silence free expression under the guise of fighting fake news, and no pro-democracy individual can support such actions.”
In recent years, media censorship in Pakistan has escalated, though Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government contends that implementing this law is crucial for curbing the proliferation of disinformation.
