IT Minister Asks PM to Withdraw Fake News Ordinance

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, while expressing serious concerns over the lack of deliberation on the ordinance issued for amendments in the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to withdraw/review the ordinance.

Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Amin-ul-Haq, wrote a letter to Prime Minister in this regard.

Minister Amin ul Haq expressed his concerns that the media community is worried and restless about the latest amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) promulgated through an ordinance. The announcement of the amendments has drawn widespread condemnation and ire of media bodies and the journalistic community as a whole. Their view is that the amendments were drafted without constructive consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

The minister explained, “The media is the fourth pillar of democracy and each government enjoys a unique relationship with the media. It is through the media that a government is able to project its image to the public. By pushing forward with these amendments without consulting the relevant stakeholders, in this case, media practitioners, the government will stoke anger and resentment within the journalistic community. Media bodies and journalists have announced that they will resist these amendments at every forum. I, therefore, urge you strongly to pay heed to the unanimous voice of protest against the PECA amendments and launch a consultative process with the civil society as well as the media community at the earliest.”

The minister remarked that it is only through dialogue and deliberation that media practitioners and the government can establish procedures to curtail fake news and urged the Prime Minister to launch this process at the earliest and withdraw/review the ordinance.