ISLAMABAD: The protests from the opposition lawmakers and journalists against the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2025 continued on Monday, as the upper house of the Parliament is scheduled to take up the legislative draft today (Tuesday).
Like its previous session on Friday, the Senate witnessed a furore on Monday too with opposition lawmakers having strongly protested against the PECA (Amendment) Bill 2025.
Matters tensed further when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary leader in Senate Barrister Ali Zafar, who wanted to speak on a point of order, was denied the floor by Deputy Chairman Senate Syedaal Khan, the chair.
The opposition lawmakers staged a walkout from the house. The journalists also walked out of the Senate press gallery against the proposed law.
This bill is under massive criticism for allegedly aiming to strangulate the freedom of speech mainly by targeting the social media with excessive curbs.
In an apparent bid to defuse the tension in Senate, Law Minister Azam Tarar said that the PECA (Amendment) Bill 2025 was not be taken up in the Monday’s session.
“Today is private members’ day. This bill is not even on the agenda. Once this bill lands on the Senate’s business agenda, we’ll talk about it,” he said.
In a related move, the Senate’s business agenda issued for Tuesday confirmed that the bill is on today session’s agenda. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is scheduled to present this bill, according to the Senate business agenda issued on Monday night.
Speaking to the media outside the Senate, Zafar said, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s message is clear: “not to accept or support this bill— come what may.”
The PECA (Amendment) Bill 2025 hands a punishment of up to three years, and fine up to two million rupees, on anyone found involved in spreading fake information online.
Meanwhile, the house unanimously passed a resolution to express solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Treasury Senator Danesh Kumar from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) moved the resolution.
Apart from that, speaking on the floor of the house, Dost Ali Jeesar from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said, the commercial banks in Sindh were shifting their branches from smaller town to bigger cities. He demanded that this practice be stopped.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb assured the PPP senator of conveying his concern to the governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Later, the deputy chairman Senate adjourned the Senate session till today (Tuesday).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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