ISLAMABAD: The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif booked Bol News anchor Sami Ibrahim under contentious sections of the notorious Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016 law.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) — which the government has been accused of unleashing on journalists critical of it and which made headlines a day earlier after it withdrew following backlash a petition seeking restoration of its draconian powers under Section 20 of the law — summoned Ibrahim in personal capacity on May 13 (Friday) at 11:00 am.
Ibrahim, a career journalist, has been critical of the government and the military establishment, having raised his voice against the “imposition” of the government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) component parties on Pakistan.
In a recent video, he had criticised the top military brass for its purported meddling in civilian affairs and aiding the process of the no-confidence vote against former prime minister Imran Khan.
Dated May 7, the notification said the agency has summoned the anchorperson under Section 20 which criminalised defamation, declaring that his video “spread false and frivolous allegations on senior government functionaries.”
“You have built a narrative with an ill-intent to cause intimidation, fear, panic, insecurity and unrest between government officials/personnel of armed forces and general public,” it read.
Section 20 of the law increased the prison term for social media users convicted of disseminating “fake news” from two to five years. It also made it mandatory for courts to decide such cases within six months.
Responding to the summon, Ibrahim tweeted: “My lawyer Raja Aamir Abbas has informed the agency that I’m out of the country and will take necessary legal action after May 14.”
حکومت نے بزریہ ایف ای اے میرے خلاف ایک مقدمہ قائم کیا ھے۔حکومتی نوٹس کی کاپی بھی میں نے لگا دی ھے۔۔ یہ معاملہ میں نے اپنے وکیل راجہ عامر عباس سے ڈسکس کیا ھے جو FIA کو بتا دھے ھیں کہ میں ابھی ملک س باھر ھوں۔۔14 مئ کو میری واپسی کے بعد ضروری قانونی چارہ جوی کی جای گی۔۔۔۔۔y pic.twitter.com/Wz0uz6PbmG
— Sami Abraham (@samiabrahim) May 7, 2022
Many wondered how could the agency invoke a section — Section 20 — which was struck down by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to probe the matter.
How can state be a complainant? FIA didn’t realise the complexity of establishing a charge like that; can men in govt be defined as “state”? Does PM enjoys this protection? And what about using a law, Sec. 20 of PECA-2016 (Amended) that has been suspended by Islamabad High Court? https://t.co/2ZVCFNbOIP
— Moeed Pirzada (@MoeedNj) May 8, 2022
On April 9, the high court declared the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance unconstitutional and scrapped Section 20 of the original law introduced by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in 2016.
The summon was condemned by journalist unions. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) vice president Lala Asad Pathan said the voice of dissent can’t be muzzled through such oppressive tactics, ARY News reported.
