Islamabad: The Senate Information and Transmission Committee showed on Wednesday its concern for the registration of cases against journalists under the controversial Law of Electronic Crimes (PECA) and requested an urgent action to address the growing concerns of the media with respect to FIR and arrests of journalists.
The Senate Committee headed by the Ali Zafar de PTI fail [First Information Report] Registered against journalists.
According to an official brochure, the Committee received a detailed informative session of the officials of the Information and Interior Ministries on the number and nature of the cases registered under PCA since its approval of Parliament in January, with a special approach to journalists, media professionals, digital content creators and social networks activists.
The committee was also informed that only a journalist had been arrested while seven were out of the country.
The Committee ordered the Ministry of Interior to provide details of those presented against journalists and their full reason at the next meeting. The committee also discussed the long -standing issue of late salaries and pensions Pakistan television (Payment television) employees.
Nine journalists between 689 reserved under a controversial law so far
The president of the committee expressed a serious concern for the situation and ordered the concerned officials to provide details and justification to recruit employees during the last five years in the Ministry, considering the financial position of the same.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information, Attaullah Tarar, assured the committee that personally the accusations of mesh 1.24 billion embezzlement of funds in the state would follow Associated Press of Pakistan (Application).
Responding to a consultation raised by Senator Sarmad Ali, who asked why he had not presented a FIR despite the passage of more than ten months since the undue appropriation was discovered.
The minister told the committee that the scam, which implies improper appropriation of RS1.24bn in the forecast fund and the employee -related expenses, was discovered by the Application Managing director.
He assured the committee that he would seek the case for the registration of a FIR against those responsible.
Posted in Dawn, August 7, 2025
