The Pakistan cabinet has approved a five-year sentence for criticizing the state institutions including the Pakistan army, judiciary, and others on electronic media.
The federal cabinet approved the amendment in the Electronic Crimes Prevention Act through an ordinance, which will come into force after presidential approval.
Sources have further told Geo News that the federal cabinet has amended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) code of conduct, paving the way for ministers and the parliamentarians to run election campaigns of their favorite candidates in the country.
“All the political parties have reservations over the code of conduct introduced by the ECP,” sources said.
The Opposition has in the meantime, taken strong exception to the reports that the government is aiming to bring the important legislations through the ordinance, which would declare online defamation a punishable offense and allow the parliamentarians to participate in the election campaign and said Presidential Ordinance was a weapon and ignoring Parliament for important legislation is an insult to democratic traditions and Parliament.
Commenting on the reports of government intentions to bring an ordinance to amend the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016 (PECA Act 2016), Senator Irfan Siddiqui of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) said that the abrupt cancellation of the National Assembly two days after the Senate session and convening the National Assembly session indicates the government’s malicious design to bring an ordinance and bypass the Parliament.
He said it is very unfortunate to deliberately ignore the Parliament and create a special atmosphere for the promulgation of the ordinance.
Irfan Siddiqui said that imposition of ordinances on sensitive issues like freedom of expression is a very negative step for any democratic society.
