The president of Pakistan on Wednesday (Jan. 29) signed into law a digital crimes measure that church and rights leaders fear will be misused to persecute people who share persecution news online or criticize the government for its inability to stop such incidents.
A key provision of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2025 (PECA) is the establishment of a Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA) tasked with regulating social media platforms and removing unlawful content. The DRPA will have powers to investigate complaints, remove content and enforce digital ethics.
While church leaders, rights activists and journalists believe that there is a need to combat fake news and hate speech on the internet, they warn of potential censorship and misuse of the law similar to the widespread abuse of the blasphemy laws.
Bishop Azad Marshall of the Church of Pakistan said Christians were in favor of regulating social media for curbing hate speech and fake news, but that it should not be misused to victimize innocent people.
“Our people are already struggling with false accusations of blasphemy because there’s no deterrent law against the accusers,” Marshall told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “If this new law is also misused, it will lead to more victimization of our people.”
There are already undeclared restrictions on mainstream media from reporting issues related to persecution of minorities because authorities think that highlighting these incidents brings a bad name to the country, he said.
“News like the violent attacks on Christians in Jaranwala in August 2023 make their way to the mainstream media because they are too big an incident to ignore or downplay,” he said. “With the mainstream media compromised, social media had become an effective tool for people to voice their opinion as well as report persecution incidents. We are concerned that the new law could be misused to discourage people from expressing their point of view.”
Church leaders, rights activists and journalists have condemned the controversial legislation, saying it could be misused to gag anti-government criticism as well as news related to minorities. President Asif Ali Zardari signed the law after its approval by both houses of parliament despite fierce opposition by rights groups and journalist bodies.
Christians’ True Spirit Chairman Asher Sarfraz said the group supports regulation of the social media as a deterrent to the rampant spread of fake news, but he echoed Marshall’s concerns.
“Fake news is a major challenge across the world, but we cannot ignore the risk of abuse and victimization of innocent people even in case of unintentional misinformation,” Sarfraz told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
There should be checks and balances on government oversight and complicity in criminal offenses, he said, adding “We support deterrence but demand addressing lacunas.”
Facebook, TikTok, and WhatsApp are among the most popular social media platforms in Pakistan, where low digital literacy fuels the spread of false information, conspiracy theories and deepfakes.
What is PECA?
The Electronic Crimes Prevention (Amendment) Act 2025 introduces severe penalties, including up to three years in prison and fines of 2 million rupees ($7,186 USD) for any person found guilty of “intentionally disseminating” information online that they have “reason to believe to be false or fake and likely to cause or create a sense of fear, panic or disorder or unrest.”
The new law says social media platforms must register with the newly established regulatory body, with non-compliance potentially leading to temporary or permanent bans. It also grants Pakistan’s intelligence agencies the authority to investigate disinformation and allows any citizen to file a case.
Digital rights activist Nighat Dad said there has been “one restrictive law after another, introduced under the guise of public interest or national security.” The real intent is “consolidating power and controlling the narrative,” she said.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also expressed its concern over the law. In a statement on Jan. 23, the commission said that “the noose has undoubtedly tightened, to cold, calculated ‘press advice’ and a flurry of legal changes seemingly designed to control digital freedoms.”
Journalist bodies have labeled the amendment as a “draconian law” and alleged it aims to restrict freedom of speech. Protests were organized in various major cities, including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta on Tuesday (Jan. 28) against the new legislation.
Addressing the protest rally in Lahore, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Secretary General Arshad Ansari expressed concern over the bill’s approval process and its impact on press freedom. Ansari said that the bill, overseen by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Information Technology, was approved without proper consultation with the Ministry of Information.
“The Ministry of Information engaged with us, but the Interior Ministry and IT Ministry pushed this bill forward without considering our input,” he said.
Questioning the urgency behind the amendments, Ansari asked, “What emergency has arisen in the country that you feel the need to strangle journalism and suppress press freedom?”
The PFUJ and journalist bodies have vowed to continue their struggle against the amendments, demanding their withdrawal and calling for broader consultations with stakeholders to protect the constitutional right to freedom of expression. Pakistan ranked 152 out of 180 countries in a press freedom index compiled by Reporters Without Borders.
At least 239 cases against journalists accused of spreading “fake news” have been recorded in South Asia and Southeast Asia since 2018, according to the Anti-Fake News Lawfare online database.
In Pakistan, even before the new legislation journalists faced arrest under terrorism legislation that civil rights monitors say is used as a cudgel on dissent.
Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian.
