ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Wednesday ordered the FIA not to make arrests under Section 20 of the recently promulgated Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act ordinance 2022.
President Dr Arif Alvi had promulgated an ordinance on February 20 to amend the PECA, 2016, making online defamation a non-bailable, cognisable offence. After the amendment, the jail term for demotion has also been increased from three years to five years while giving more powers to the FIA.
A day earlier the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) had moved the IHC against the PECA ordinance 2022.
Taking up the PFUJ’s petition, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah issued a notice to the government and restrained it from arresting people under the ordinance.
At the outset of today’s hearing, PFUJ’s counsel Adil Aziz Qazi argued that the government deliberately postponed a scheduled session of the National Assembly (NA) on February 18 to introduce this ordinance.
“What were the circumstances under which the government issued the ordinance in haste?” questioned the lawyer.
