ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that the PECA Amendment Ordinance was issued ignoring the Parliament, why not declare it null and void?
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) during its hearing on the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) Amendment Ordinance has asked the people to be satisfied on the point that if the National Assembly had been convened then why the Presidential Ordinance was issued under Article 89 of the Constitution. Was the constitutional authority to issue the President’s Ordinance used properly?
The Chief Justice said that arguments should also be given on the amendment in Section 20 as to why defamation should be made a criminal offense.
Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that Pakistan is a signatory to international treaties on civil rights, you are going against them.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has heard petitions against the PECA Amendment Ordinance. Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that the amendment ordinance was apparently issued in violation of Article 89 of the Constitution. How can there be self-censorship in the country? The FIA report revealed that he was monitoring journalists on the Internet.
The Chief Justice further said that in a defamation case, the FIA has been given the power to make direct arrests. Why are public office holders worried about social media? Why should the ordinance be declared null and void?
On this occasion, the Additional Attorney General said that the reputation of some institutions has to be protected, as the judges themselves cannot file a complaint but this amendment has enabled the Registrar to file a complaint.
The Chief Justice said that the government should not be worried about the judiciary. The judges were not scared.
The Additional Attorney General said that there is no objection to positive criticism, who will decide whether the criticism is positive or negative? No one should be afraid of criticism.
On this occasion, lawyer Munir A. Malik said that the solution of fake news is to tell the truth as much as possible.
