ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has 96,000 cybercrime complaints pending under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), Prime Minister Imran Khan said in his televised address to the nation.
PM Imran Khan said that only 38 cases were resolved by the FIA cybercrime wing so far.
PECA promulgation
President Arif Alvi had promulgated two ordinances on Sunday that would bring changes in the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, (PECA) 2016, and the Elections Act, 2017.
Both laws were signed by the president after the Cabinet approved them. The changes made in the electronic crimes act have been made under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022.
Under the ordinance, the definition of a “person” has been broadened to include any company, association, institution, organisation, authority, or any other. Furthermore, anyone found guilty of attacking a person’s “identity” will now be sentenced to five years instead of three years.
The ordinance also states the informant or the complainant shall be “aggrieved person, his authorised representative, or his guardian, where such person is a minor or a member of the public in respect of a public figure or a holder of public office”.
Cases falling under PECA will be supervised by a high court and the trial court will have to conclude the case within six months, the state news agency reported.
While elaborating the PECA amendment ordinance, PM Imran Khan ruled out concerns over the law by calling it a move to suppress the freedom of expression. He clarified that PECA amendments have no connection with the freedom of expression.
He said that the law had been introduced in 2016 that aims to stop fake news and dirt from social media.
The premier criticised that a journalist had written three years ago that PM’s wife left the home and the same journalist spread the fake news against regarding the premier’s wife again.
Political analysts said that PECA 2016 had been introduced by Nawaz Sharif-led government and it was used to witchhunt the political opponents by the past governments.
They said that the newspapers had been dictated in Nawaz Sharif’s first tenure as instructions were issued by the accountability bureau’s chief Saifur Rehman at that time to block or release a news story.
During the second tenure of Nawaz Sharif, renowned journalist Najam Sethi had been sent to jail for writing a column against his government. Moreover, many newspapers including the Jang media group had faced closure by the authorities, they added.
Analysts said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had tried to strengthen the PECA law to curb harassment cases and fake news. Moreover, it will also expedite the court proceedings in defamations cases.