Press release

National roundtable demands protection of media and digital freedoms

Islamabad, 17 July 2025. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), supported by the European Union, along with academics, civil society leaders, lawyers, editors and media practitioners hosted a national roundtable to address the issue of increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and shrinking digital spaces.

The roundtable, with opening remarks from leading political scientist Dr Mohammed Wasim, was moderated by digital rights activist Farieha Aziz. She explained the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) (Amendment) Act 2025, particularly Section 37, which grants vague and sweeping powers to the PTA. Several speakers pointed to the lack of due process in recent actions taken against online content producers. Journalists Matiullah Jan and Asad Toor noted that YouTube channels were also blocked without any prior notice or valid legal proceedings.

Anchorperson Absa Komal observed a shift in censorship tactics, from arrests to economic pressure and institutional intimidation, leading many to self-censor. Resident editor Dawn Amir Wasim echoed Komal’s views. Anchorperson and HRCP co-chair Munizae Jahangir warned that the authorities could exploit divisions within civil society and the media. She advocated for building an alliance of all relevant stakeholders.

Advocate Talha Sarfraz Khan emphasized the need to differentiate defamation and harassment. Barrister Rida Hosain and Advocate Usman Warraich criticized the misuse of defamation laws, which serve to protect state institutions rather than citizens, highlighting the neglect of digital rights violations amount to a digital martial rule currently being experienced.

Journalists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan highlighted the difficulties of reporting from the two provinces saying that the repression in remote areas had now expanded to urban centres. There was consensus on the need to repeal or, at the very least amend the PECA 2016 law and its 2025 amendment.

Former PFUJ secretary-general and current HRCP council member Nasir Zaidi urged civil society to unite and push for urgent legal reforms, while journalist Mahim Maher suggested that laws alone may not suffice and that economic and legal routes must be pursued strategically.

Former senator and HRCP council member Farhatullah Babar urged the Senate’s Information Committee to obtain and publish FIA data on PECA-related cases. He also called for a commission to assess the misuse of the blasphemy laws in conjunction with PECA and for digital surveillance to be reviewed.

HRCP secretary-general Harris Khalique concluded the roundtable by saying that without freedom of expression, not a single rights issue—whether civil, economic or social—can be raised or voiced. He said that hate speech, online harassment and incitement to violence must be regulated, not the criticism of state policies and political dissent.

Asad Iqbal Butt
Chairperson