The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Thursday moved resolutions in the National Assembly seeking “disapproval” of the controversial Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) Ordinance 2022.
The resolutions were submitted to the office of the National Assembly speaker under Rule 170(2) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly 2007 by PPP’s Agha Rafiullah and PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb.
PML-N MNA Marriyum Aurangzeb, who submitted the resolution on the directives of the PML-N president said, “I, the undersigned, hereby give notice as per Rule 170(2) to move a resolution for disapproval of ordinance namely “The Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance 2022″ I disapprove the ordinance and request my resolution to be laid in the House.”
In her letter, Marriyum, who is the information secretary of the PML-N as well, urged the speaker to table the resolution in the house for voting. As per the NA rules, if the resolution under Rule 170(2) is passed in the house then the ordinance will be annulled.
The PML-N decided to move the lower house of parliament against the “draconian” law after a delegation of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the journalist associations called on PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif. During the meeting, Shehbaz had assured that his party would table a resolution in the lower house.
In his resolution, PPP lawmaker Agha Rafiullah said, “I hereby give notice to move a resolution under the provisions of aforesaid rules for the disapproval of ordinance, namely the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance 2022.”
“Therefore, it is requested that this matter be brought to the National Assembly as soon as possible to give an opportunity to members of the National Assembly to discuss the said law and disapprove it,” the resolution read.
It may be noted here that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had dismissed the petitions filed by the opposition parties, including the PML-N, against the controversial ordinance, asking them to approach parliament against the law.
Earlier in a meeting with the delegation of the Joint Action Committee of journalist organizations, Shahbaz Sharif had assured to bring a resolution for repeal of the PECA Ordinance.
After weeks of backlash from media bodies, bar councils and grilling in courts, government spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry has hinted at the reversal of the controversial amendment. The minister had made these remarks a day earlier, saying the government firmly believed in the freedom of expression.