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SHC moved against Peca amendment

Jamal Khurshid
Friday, Feb 07, 2025

karachi: A petition has been filed with the Sindh High Court (SHC) against recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act (Peca) with regard to punishment of spreading fake or false information.

The petitioners, Mohammad Anis and others, submitted in the petition that the federal government introduced the Section 2R and 26A into the Peca amendment, which were against the freedom of press and expression, and liable to be struck down.

Their counsel Ali Tahir submitted that the impugned sections were prone to discriminatory application as they disproportionately targeted critics of the government while shielding the state institutions and its officers from accountability.

He said the section 26A undermined judicial independence by allowing executive authorities to determine what constituted false or fake information without judicial oversight.

He said this provision lacked procedural safeguards such as right to fair trial and presumption of innocence violating the Article 10 (A) and due process.