HRCP Report Calls PECA 2025 a Tool for Censorship, Not Cybersecurity
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has issued a scathing critique of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act 2025, calling for its immediate repeal and denouncing its legacy iterations from 2016 to 2023 as coercive tools used to stifle dissent and restrict fundamental freedoms.
The findings were unveiled during an advocacy meeting in Islamabad, part of a European Union-funded initiative, where digital rights activist Farieha Aziz, the HRCP PECA 2025 report ‘s lead author, presented key concerns under HRCP’s Legislation Watch Cell. The session opened with remarks by HRCP Director Farah Zia, who warned of an alarming trend in repressive lawmaking that undermines civic space and democratic expression.
This law is not about protecting citizens. It’s about controlling them.
Dangerous Precedents in Digital Legislation
Aziz’s report scrutinizes the 2025 amendment and previous versions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), highlighting how the law criminalizes broad and vague categories of “fake and false information,” with punishments extending to three years in prison. She noted the creation of a regulatory authority, complaints council, and tribunal, all operating under excessive executive influence, as central concerns.
Moreover, the report flags the reclassification of offenses from bailable and non-cognizable to non-bailable and cognizable, significantly broadening the scope for abuse by law enforcement agencies.
A key structural change, the replacement of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) with a newly formed National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, has also drawn criticism for operating without sufficient oversight or legal safeguards.
HRCP PECA 2025 reports Law Is Being Weaponised
Prominent voices from journalism and civil society echoed the HRCP’s stance during the meeting. Veteran journalist Adnan Rehmat stressed the state’s obligation to protect individual freedoms and called for the decriminalization of free speech. He urged political parties to participate in broader consultations for digital reform.
We need to shift the debate from punishment to protection.
Senior journalist Saleem Shahid argued that PECA violates constitutionally guaranteed rights to free speech and information. He called for a united response from journalists and civil society organizations.
Former Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) lawmaker Sanaullah Baloch stated that no meaningful parliamentary democracy could exist without robust freedom of expression.
Hyper-Regulation and Economic Repression
HRCP Co-Chair Munizae Jahangir spotlighted the “hyper-regulated connectivity” in regions such as Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir, where journalists operate under increasing threats and surveillance.
In a sobering account, journalist Asad Ali Toor revealed that his family’s bank accounts had been frozen, allegedly in retaliation for his reporting. Jahangir condemned the tactic as “economic terrorism” used to silence dissent.
Civil Society Urged to Mobilize
Digital rights advocates Usama Khilji and Aftab Alam proposed forming a national coalition of journalists, civil society actors, and human rights defenders to engage political leadership and resist mounting restrictions on expression.
Supporting the move, HRCP council member Farhatullah Babar said disinformation must be countered, but not at the cost of suppressing fundamental rights.
The session concluded with HRCP Islamabad Vice Chair Nasreen Azhar urging the proposed coalition to identify all laws that contradict constitutional protections for free speech, access to information, and civic participation.
Our legal system must reflect our democratic values — not erode them.
HRCP PECA 2025 report: From Digital Safety to Suppression
The HRCP report reinforces long-standing concerns echoed by digital rights advocates and independent media that PECA, rather than evolving to protect citizens in the digital age, has instead become a legislative tool to police thought and dissent.
Our previous investigations have revealed how vague terminology and unchecked executive powers embedded in PECA have been used to target journalists, silence whistleblowers, and suppress political discourse online. The 2025 amendment, rather than correcting these flaws, deepens the crisis by reclassifying offenses and empowering a loosely regulated investigation agency.
In an era where digital freedom is central to democracy, PECA’s trajectory reflects a broader institutional reluctance to embrace transparency and accountability. The law’s weaponization against critics and the expansion of surveillance capabilities highlight the urgent need for a rights-based digital governance framework, one that protects citizens, not the state’s insecurities.
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