ISLAMABAD: The government agreed to reconsider the Cyber Crimes Bill 2016 after journalists staged a walk out from the Senate on Wednesday.
Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani asked the government to take all stakeholders into confidence on this important legislation.
Journalists staged a walk out from the Senate against some provisions of the Cyber Crimes Bill that has been passed by the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and the government wanted to get it passed from the Senate.
PML-N parliamentary leader in Senate Mushahidullah Khan assured journalist bodies at the press lounge that he would arrange a meeting of journalists’ representatives with IT State Minister Anusha Rehman Khan. On this, journalists ended their protest. The meeting took place at the chamber of the IT state minister at the Parliament House on Wednesday.
Parliamentary Reporters Association President Siddique Sajid, Senior Vice President Bahzad Saleemi, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists President Ali Raza Alvi, former president of National Press Club Shahryar Khan and National Press Club Finance Secretary Ishaq Chaudhry met the IT state minister and chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on IT and informed them of their concerns about the Cyber Crimes Bill, especially about the use of electronic devices.
The IT minister said the basic purpose of the bill was to control cybercrimes thorough cyber space and the government had no intention to use this bill against journalists. “We do not want to put any kind of ban on the electronic as well as print media through this bill,” she said.
“We are ready to amend provisions relating to the media in this bill. Electronic media already does not fall within the ambit of this bill and the print media will also be protected,” she said. After talks, it was decided that both the government and journalists would sit together on Thursday and suggest amendments with consensus.