Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Renowned legal and IT experts have expressed mixed reaction to recently passed Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act saying there are lot of ambiguities and legalities in this bill which needs to be looked thoroughly to improve this legislation.

Senior IT Expert Dr Arshad Siddiqui told Daily Times that there are legalities in this bill which have to improve.

Senator Shibli Faraz of PTI said, “I was part of the bill and we need to look into the cyber crime laws related to other regional and international and then we finalize it, so there is no worries”.

Nighat Dad Executive Director, Digital Rights Foundation said, “The Cyber Crime Act is a disaster that is being allowed to envelop the country. Our lawmakers have gone through deeply problematic provisions despite being told time and again what the consequences may be”.

This is an act that has been roundly condemned by respected international and Pakistani human rights organizations and rights experts, including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye”, she added.

The Human Rights activist and filmmaker, Haseeb Khawaja said, “Now the Government wants to control undemocratically our freedom of expression on internet through controversial Cyber Crime Act after censoring Print & Electronic media”.

Online platform was remained last place in Pakistan now where one can fully exercise basic human right “Freedom of Expression” by all means, he asked, adding that actually the Government is trying to curtail basic human rights in the name of countering terrorism. In those societies where the Governments start unfair restrictions/ sanctions, cannot survive democratically for long time.

The Director of Bolo Bhi, a digital rights organization, Farieha Aziz said, “The bill required more clarity and the Government of Pakistan has said that this legislation is meant to protect Pakistanis”.

The reality is that it criminalizes the fundamental rights that are enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan, taking the nation further down the path to total surveillance, and the loss of freedom, she added.