Parliament in Islamabad passed a disputed social media control bill on Thursday whose widespread government oversight led to swift criticism by opposition members and rights activists.
Through amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act the law establishes a Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority to enforce strict regulations. The newly established Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority will be authorized to remove content deemed both “unlawful and offensive” which specifically includes materials criticizing judges and members of the military or parliament. The penalty structure for all offenders including social media companies contains severe financial penalties together with possible platform shutdowns and carries a possible three-year prison sentence.
Lawmakers from former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) walked out during the legislature in protest against what they described as an attack on fundamental speech rights. Human rights activist Farhatullah Babar criticized the new legislation because he saw it as both silencing free speech and giving uncontrolled power to the government.
Journalist unions strongly oppose the proposed bill because they believe it uses disinformation controls to target activists and the media. Federal Union of Journalists President Afzal Butt described the measure as “a strategy to silence people defending constitutional rights through their voices.”
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar maintained support for the legislation because he believed it would prevent unfounded speculation along with discriminatory verbal attacks. The passage of this bill happens at a time when censorship in the country continues to grow worse. Pakistan blocked X recently which led people to use virtual private networks to reach the platform’s content.
Imran Khan continues to generate active online support while behind bars at the same time his political party depends heavily on social media to rally supporters for demonstrations. Law critics maintain the legislation intends to reduce opposition voices while limiting expressions of dissent leading up to electoral voting.
