MQM Moves to Block Certain Clauses of Cyber Crime Bill

MQM is aiming to block certain clauses of the recently drafted Cyber Crime Bill that is awaiting approval from National Assembly and ultimately from the Senate to formally become a law in Pakistan, we have learned.

According to the information we have received, MQM has proposed at least four amendments in the cyber crime bill that was recently approved by NA’s Standing Committee for Information Technology.

After getting approval from the standing committee, the bill was all set to be tabled and passed on the floor of National Assembly until MQM moved its objections.

Approved copy of Cyber Crime Bill can be downloaded from here.

The ruling party, our sources revealed, is currently in process of negotiating with MQM to reach an agreement where MQM would ideally withdraw its objections.

PML (N), as one would imagine, is aiming to get the bill passed in its current form without incorporating MQM’s input or from anyone else.

It is yet to be seen if MQM will ultimately withdraw from the objections they raised or not.

According to details, below are clauses that MQM wants to get amended from the bill:

• Any evidence — that is collected through monitoring or legal interception of communication — will be admissible by courts. (with this clause, if legal interception of any individual is allowed by court, then same content or recording could be used as evidence in the court)
• Under Section 40 of the law, where it says that prosecution and trial of an offence under the Act committed by a minor shall be conducted under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance, 2000; MQM proposed to add “by the court designated under this act” as an amendment.

More proposed changes are mentioned in the copy (as seen below) in lieu of objections raised by MQM: