Islamabad [Pakistan], February 24 (ANI): The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has rejected the recently passed controversial amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), terming it as a threat to freedom of expression, independent media and people's right to know, and democracy, Dawn reported.

It called for the immediate withdrawal of the Peca law which it believes was passed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in haste and termed it as 'martial law for media.'

The PFUJ's statement comes after the conclusion of its three-day Biannual Delegates Meeting (BDM) in Islamabad, where it passed several resolutions addressing the draconian law and voiced concerns over the safety of journalists and retrenchment of media personnel.

The PFUJ criticised Pakistani authorities for using government advertisements as a tool to put pressure on media houses. It termed the Peca law as the worst martial law for the media in Pakistan, which threatens not only freedom of the press, freedom of expressions, people's right to know but also democracy, a statement, referring to the draft of resolutions passed at the meeting, according to Dawn report.

The statement reads, 'The PFUJ demands immediate withdrawal of the controversial Peca law, which it believes was passed in haste by the present coalition government led by PML-N and declared it as martial law for the media. The PFUJ resolved that it would take up all these issues in a meeting of the Joint Action Committee of Media stakeholders to draw a line of action.'

The resolution rejected the government's claim that the law was introduced to curb the menace of 'fake news' and disinformation, stressing that this law in the past eight years had only targeted critical and dissenting voices.

It further said, 'The worst part is that Peca is the continuation of black laws like Press and Publication Ordinance, 1963 and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, PEMRA, 2001.'

One of the PFUJ resolutions criticised the government over its decision to stop advertisements of daily Dawn due to its 'professional and critical approach in reporting and editorials.' The PFUJ also related the relationshi between the media and government to the protection and safety of journalists.

According to PFUJ statement, journalists had not only been killed in Pakistan in record numbers last year but also booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act, blasphemy law and drug charges. It also cited the case against Matiullah Jan in Islamabad due to his criticism of the government.

It also stated that PFUJ and other media stakeholders had requested the government to share the draft of the law. However, it appears that some 'hidden hands' stopped the government from sharing such a draft and passed the law, Dawn reported.

In another resolution, the PFUJ expressed concern over the failures of the government to implement measures to ensure the safety and protection of journalists. Since 2024, PFUJ stated that 10 journalists had been killed but police has not been able to arrest the assailants. It also slammed the Balochistan government's decision to shut the Quetta Press Club and stop it from hosting a programme despite having prior permission. (ANI)