Karachi: The organizations of the journalist agencies, the legal fraternity and human rights agreed on Wednesday to launch a “joint fight” against the recently approved Electronic Crime Prevention Law (amendment), also known as PECA, and announced that a Convention in the Convention in the Karachi Press Club (KPC) against the “Draconian Law” on March 1.
An advisory meeting convened by the KPC also promised to use each legal forum to raise its voice against the recently approved law and mobilize civil society to play its role.
The meeting, co -chaired by the president of KPC, Fazil Jamili, and Secretary Muhammad Sohail Afzal Khan, attended representatives of different organizations of journalists and media, lawyer associations, rights groups, labor organizations, etc.
The participants of the meeting agreed that Peca was a black law that should be annulled immediately.
Journalist agencies, lawyers, rights groups agree to hold the Convention against ‘Black Law’ on March 1
They said that the government through Peca had provided protection to “illegal and immoral actions” against freedom of expression.
Even before the approval of the law, the authorities under the influence of power had already been attacked to journalists, doctors, lawyers, students, teachers and intellectuals to express their views.
The participants of the meeting decided to organize a convention on March 1 where all the affected members of the company would be invited and a future course of action would be described.
Speaking on the occasion, the former president of the Bar Association of the Court of the Supreme Court of Sindh, Salahuddin Ahmed, said that the newly passed law not only threatened the free press, but also suffocated the voice of the dissent of each segment of the society that believed in freedom of expression.
“I think in the current situation, one should not set their hopes in court for any remedy,” he said. “It is time to unite all aggravated or affected stakeholders and launch a joint fight. Whether students, teachers, journalists or work. It is everyone’s problem. “
In his opening comments, the KPC secretary invited suggestions of all participants to design a joint strategy.
The recently approved law reflected the quickly decreasing space for democratic norms and debate in the country, he added.
He said that journalists from all over the country had rejected the law from the beginning and would continue their fight to their complete withdrawal.
“We will take every step to block the draconian law. We will protest it in the streets and challenge the law poorly conceived in the Court, calling each door for its withdrawal, ”he added.
The president of KPC said the club decided to gather journalists, legal fraternity, human rights activists and civil society members to join under its platform for a joint fight against “black law.”
“Initially, the government had promised that our concerns would be heard and that our contribution would be considered before the final draft. But unfortunately, none of those promises was fulfilled and the bill was approved in a hurry. We believe that Peque 2025 will be used for the change of arm against the media and the community of journalists. Now the only way to follow is to plan a united fight to delay this law. “
Other speakers included the Secretary General of the Karachi Bar Association, Abdul Rahman Korai, all newspapers of the newspapers of the Pakistan society, leaders of various factions of the Federal Pakistan Union of Journalists and Karachi Union of Journalists – Ah khanzada, aajizz, aajizz, aajizz, aajizz, aajizz, Aajizz, Aajizz, Ajiz. Jamali, Hamid Rehman and Lubna Jarrar Naqvi-Malka Khan, of the Aurrat Foundation, the president of women’s women in the home of the Federation of Workers, Zehra Khan, Nasir Mansoor of the National Federation of Corry Union, the president of the Human Rights Commission of the President of Pakistan, Asad Iqbal Butt, and the former president of KPC Saeed Sarbazi
Posted in Dawn, February 20, 2025
