LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday summoned representatives from the Punjab government and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) in connection with petitions filed against the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2025.
Justice Farooq Haider presided over the hearing, during which the federal government submitted its response to the petitions. However, both the Punjab government and PEMRA failed to provide their replies, prompting criticism from the court, Express News reported.
During the proceedings, a lawyer representing the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) requested additional time to submit their response. However, Justice Haider warned that if the court’s queries remained unanswered by the next hearing, the law would take its course.
The court has adjourned the hearing until March 13, 2025.
The government recently strengthened PECA through new amendments aimed at tackling fake news and unlawful online content. The proposed Electronic Crimes Prevention (Amendment) Act 2025 introduces stricter penalties, including up to three years in prison and fines of Rs 2 million for spreading disinformation.
Last week, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated that the original draft of the PECA amendments was highly stringent, but his party had advocated for significant changes to dilute its impact, Express News reported.
Speaking in an interview after addressing the Oxford Union, Bilawal emphasised that the PPP has always opposed the original PECA law, adding that former Prime Minister Imran Khan was the first to push for such harsh legislation.
