Government not implementing Section 20 of cybercrime law – attorney general

Pakistani journalists and civil society activists protest in Karachi, Pakistan, on October 28, 2017. (AFP/File)

• The controversial section of the law substantially increases jail term for social media users convicted of disseminating ‘fake news’
• Attorney general says the government is ready to form a commission on cybercrime law, talk to stakeholders

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s attorney general Khalid Jawed Khan told a court on Thursday the government had stopped implementing a controversial section in a cybercrime law which journalists and civil society activists said was designed to curb media freedom in the country.
Last month, President Arif Alvi approved an amendment to Section 20 of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) which increased the jail term for social media users convicted of disseminating “fake news” from two to five years.
The ordinance also made it mandatory for courts to decide such cases within six months.
The attorney general made the disclosure during the hearing of a petition filed against PECA at the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
“The attorney general informed the court that the government was ready to consult all the stakeholders regarding PECA and that a commission would be formed without whose recommendation no action will be taken,” reported The Express Tribune.
During the hearing of the case, Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked if the government wanted to take the country in a direction where there was no criticism of public officeholders.
In response, the attorney general said he had met the prime minister and apprised him about the law.
He added the prime minister “expressed astonishment” on Section 20 of the ordinance, adding the government was ready to form a commission comprising former high court judges and civil society members before taking any action under PECA.
“I have apprised the prime minister that some things will be retracted from the ordinance. We will also take Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors and all stakeholders on board,” he added.
The PFUJ lawyer, present at the hearing, said the union was ready to hold talks with the government.
The court subsequently adjourned the proceeding of the case until March 14, directing the attorney general to submit his final arguments regarding the ordinance.