KARACHI: A journalists’ club in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has filed a case against a critic over alleged defamation under the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), which Pakistani journalist bodies have challenged in courts.
The Mardan Press Club (MPC) alleged that Zahid Khan, who manages a Facebook page under his name and claims to be associated with ‘Daily Nida-e-Watan’ and ‘Piyam-e-Khyber’ newspapers, had been running a “defamatory and negative propaganda campaign” against the club and its members for several years. The First Information Report (FIR), registered against Khan under sections 506 and 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code as well as the PECA law, says the accused had been using “highly inappropriate language repeatedly” against MPC members.
The Pakistan Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, enacted on January 29, includes provisions making the dissemination of “fake or false” information a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison without clearly defining “fake or false” news. Journalists and digital rights experts say they were excluded from consultations on the bill, which prevented genuine public scrutiny of the new law, and have challenged it in courts.
The PECA amendments aim to create four new regulatory bodies to regulate online content and broaden the definition of online harm. The regulatory bodies will be authorized to block and remove content based on ambiguous criteria that do not meet the standards of proportionality and necessity required under international human rights law, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International rights groups have said.
“Zahid had applied for the club’s membership, but the governing body rejected his application, deeming him unqualified for the membership,” Muhammad Riaz Khan Mayar, the MPC president, told Arab News.
“Following this, he approached the civil court and then the high court, but both forums dismissed his petition. After that, he started launching personal attacks against the press club and its members on social media, using highly inappropriate language repeatedly.”
Mayar said his press club shared concerns of Pakistani journalist bodies about the PECA law.
“The press club cannot engage in fights but has the right to seek legal recourse against persistent defamation and personal attacks,” he argued, saying that PECA was used only because it is currently in effect.
While journalist leaders supported legal action against the accused for alleged defamation, they criticized the invoking of PECA by the complainants.
AH Khanzada, secretary-general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), said the FIR should have been registered against relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, and not the PECA law.
“The journalists of the country firmly stand against the PECA law which we strongly believe has been enacted and later amendments were made to target freedom of speech and freedom of press,” Khanzada said.
“We will continue our struggle against the law, which we have no doubt is meant to suppress our voice. As we stand with Mardan Press Club against those attacking it, we believe that registering FIR under the PECA law is totally wrong.”
He urged the press club management to take back the complaint and register it, if at all necessary, under other laws.
Fazil Jamili, president of the Karachi Press Club, echoed the concerns.
“We, the journalists, strongly oppose the PECA law and no case, against anyone, should be registered under it,” Jamili told Arab News. “We also believe that the press club had every right to adopt legal course against a person who had been making personal attacks on its office bearers and members, but it should be registered under other defamation laws instead of PECA.”
Pakistan press club sues critic for defamation under controversial cybercrime law
https://arab.news/gx2qa
Pakistan press club sues critic for defamation under controversial cybercrime law
- President of the Mardan Press Club says the accused had attacked members with ‘highly inappropriate language’
- Journalist leaders say case should have been registered under other laws, not Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act
Pakistan’s top military commander hails Saudi defense pact as ‘historic’ at scholars’ conference
- Asim Munir says Pakistan has a unique bond with the Kingdom, citing the ‘honor’ of helping safeguard the holy sites
- He says only the state can declare jihad, urging religious scholars to counter extremist narratives and promote unity
ISLAMABAD: Chief of Defense Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday described the country’s joint security pact with Saudi Arabia as a “historic” milestone, telling a gathering of religious scholars that Pakistan and the kingdom share a deep strategic relationship.
Signed in September, the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement has solidified decades of Saudi–Pakistan defense cooperation, covering intelligence-sharing, counterterrorism and regional stability.
The two nations have long coordinated on defense matters, with Pakistani military personnel deployed in the Kingdom.
“The defense agreement [with Saudi Arabia] is historic,” he said in an address to the conference in the federal capital.
The top military commander said Pakistan regarded its connection with the Kingdom as unique.
“Among all Muslim countries, Allah has given Pakistan the honor of helping safeguard the Haramain,” he continued, referring to the two holiest sites of Islam in Makkah and Madinah.
Munir used his speech to warn against extremism, saying that under the Islamic framework, only the state could declare jihad, a pointed reference to groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which claims to act in the name of religion while carrying out attacks on civilians and security forces.
“When nations abandon knowledge and the pen, disorder takes hold,” he said, urging the religious scholars to help keep society unified and to “broaden the nation’s vision.”
Munir also criticized India, describing “terrorism” as “India’s habit, not Pakistan’s.”
His remarks came months after a four-day military confrontation in May, during which the two nuclear-armed neighbors exchanged artillery and missile fire and deployed drones and fighter jets.
India blamed Pakistan for a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir before launching a missile attack. Islamabad denied involvement and called for an international probe.
Pakistan claimed it had shot down six Indian fighter jets before a US-brokered ceasefire took effect.
“We do not hide when confronting the enemy,” Munir said. “We challenge openly.”
