KARACHI: A leading digital rights organization has called for the establishment of an independent oversight body comprising civil society activists and government functionaries to monitor Internet censorship decisions, highlighting concerns over the impact of Pakistan’s cyber laws on press freedom.
In a report analyzing the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and related legislation, the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) warned this week the law had been used to target journalists and suppress dissenting voices across the country.
Enacted in 2016, PECA was introduced to combat cybercrime but has been widely criticized by activists who see it as a tool for curbing free speech and stifling political opposition. Over the years, several journalists have faced legal action under the law, with cases registered against them in different parts of the country.
The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), a non-profit established in 2013 to promote free speech, noted in its report that PECA was passed after more than a year of closed-door consultations between the government and lawmakers, despite objections raised by civil society and international human rights organizations.
The lack of transparency in the legislative process, it said, had created an uncertain digital environment, allowing law enforcement agencies to target individuals who question state policies and actions.
“Journalists remain particularly precarious in this increasingly restrictive online environment given their outsized visibility and centrality to freedom of expression,” the report said, adding media workers were “under attack from the state’s lawfare.”
The DRF stressed the need for revising existing laws, including the wholesale repeal of certain sections and enacting reforms to prevent law enforcement agencies from misusing legislation against journalists and dissenting voices in digital spaces.
It recommended the formation of “an independent oversight body, comprising a majority of civil society experts and a minority of government officials, to review and monitor Internet censorship and throttling decisions, ensuring transparency, accountability and adherence to international human rights standards.”
One of the most significant consequences of aggressive digital regulation, the report noted, had been the “chilling effect” phenomenon, where self-censorship becomes a preemptive protective mechanism in response to state surveillance and regulatory crackdowns.
The DRF further emphasized the importance of ensuring that future legislation on digital governance and technological regulation is developed through inclusive consultations with all stakeholders, including civil society organizations, journalists, media professionals and the technical community.
Pakistan’s digital rights group calls for independent body to monitor Internet censorship decision
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Pakistan’s digital rights group calls for independent body to monitor Internet censorship decision
- Digital Rights Foundation says PECA, other cyber laws have been used to target journalists in the country
- It calls for a thorough revision to the existing cyber laws, including the wholesale repeal of certain sections
Pakistan says $50 million meat export deal with Tajikistan nearing finalization
- Islamabad expects to finalize agreement soon after Dushanbe signals demand for 100,000 tons
- Pakistan is seeking to expand agricultural trade beyond rice, citrus and mango exports
ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan has expressed interest in importing 100,000 tons of Pakistani meat worth more than $50 million, with both governments expected to finalize a supply agreement soon, Pakistan’s food security ministry said on Tuesday.
Pakistan is trying to grow agriculture-based exports as it seeks regional markets for livestock and food commodities, while Tajikistan, a landlocked Central Asian state, has been expanding food imports to support domestic demand. Pakistan currently exports rice, citrus and mangoes to Dushanbe, though volumes remain small compared to national production, according to official figures.
The development came during a meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Ambassador of Tajikistan Yusuf Sharifzoda, where agricultural trade, livestock supply and food-security cooperation were discussed.
“Tajikistan intends to purchase 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan, an import valued at over USD 50 million,” the ambassador said, according to the ministry’s statement, assuring full facilitation and that Islamabad was prepared to meet the demand.
The statement said the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in meat and livestock, fresh fruit, vegetables, staple crops, agricultural research, pest management and standards compliance. Pakistan also proposed strengthening coordination on phytosanitary rules and establishing pest-free production zones to support long-term exports.
Pakistan and Tajikistan have long maintained political ties but bilateral food trade remains below potential: Pakistan produces 1.8 million tons of mangoes annually but exported just 0.7 metric tons to Tajikistan in 2024, while rice exports amounted to only 240 metric tons in 2022 out of national output of 9.3 million tons. Pakistan imports mainly ginned cotton from Tajikistan.
