Registration of cases under PECA 2016: Journalists stage walkout from Senate session

ISLAMABAD: The journalists, Thursday, staged a walkout from the press gallery of the upper house of the Parliament in protest to the registration of cases against several media persons in the recent days under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, an allegedly controversial law that is alleged to have been misused by the powerful quarters against the media.

On the last day of the 344th Senate session, the representatives from different sections of the media left the press gallery, boycotting the media coverage of the Senate proceedings, against the registration of cases involving different media persons under PECA 2016, which the reporters said, aimed at deterring the media from reporting on “sensitive” issues.

The matter came to the notice of Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was presiding over the session. Gilani directed the senators including Saleem Mandviwalla from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Aon Abbas Buppi from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Hidayatullah Khan from Awami National Party (ANP) to urge the protesting journalists to end the boycott, and return to the press gallery.

The protest finally ended when the treasury side assured the media representatives that the matter would be taken up with the authorities concerned.

Speaking on the floor of the house, Law Minister Azam Tarar said, he would speak to Information Minister Atta Tarar on the matter. “The representatives of journalist community can also meet me after the Senate session—we will play our role in addressing their grievances,” he said.

PTI’s Buppi proposed the formation of a three-member committee to investigate the cases’ registration against the journalists.

Kamran Murtaza from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) demanded that the issue of imposition of sanctions by the United States State Department on Pakistan’s four institutions, and Greece boat tragedy be taken up by the house for debate.

The chairman Senate assured the JUI-F senator that both issues would be debated after the question hour.

Later, however, the Senate was prorogued without taking up the two issues.

Earlier, the law minister informed the house in the question hour that 17,738 seminaries or madaris were registered with the Directorate General Religious Education (DGRA).

Of them, 10,012 seminaries are located in Punjab, 2,416 in Sindh, 4,005 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 575 in Balochistan, 199 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 445 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and 86 in Gilgit- Baltistan (GB), he said. As many as 2,249,520 students are studying in these seminaries, he said.

Meanwhile, a copy of the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill 2024 was laid before the house by the law minister.

The Senate now stands prorogued.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024