Pakistan: Another journalist held under Peca sent to prison

In a development that has reignited concerns over press freedom in Pakistan, journalist Muhammad Aslam Shah has been sent to prison on judicial remand, a day after his arrest by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under the country’s controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2025.

Local media reported on Thursday that Shah was produced before a judicial magistrate (South) after the NCCIA sought his 14-day physical remand for interrogation. The court, however, declined the request, sending the journalist to prison after the investigating officer failed to sufficiently satisfy the magistrate.

The case against Shah was registered on 29 December following a complaint by Tabish Raza Husnain, described as an official of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC). According to Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn, the FIR invoked Section 20 of Peca — offences against the dignity of a natural person — and Section 24, which deals with cyberstalking.

In his complaint, Husnain alleged that Shah had run a campaign of “defamatory propaganda” against him and a senior official, Colonel Anjum, across social media groups. He further claimed that the journalist used abusive language, causing mental distress and damage to his reputation.

Shah’s arrest and subsequent remand come against the backdrop of mounting alarm over the shrinking space for journalism in Pakistan. In November, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) raised red flags over what it described as a deepening crisis for media professionals in the country — citing targeted killings, the misuse of Peca to silence journalists, undeclared censorship, harassment by state and non-state actors, forced layoffs, and the non-payment of salaries.

These concerns were formally conveyed during a meeting in Paris, where a delegation of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) held discussions with IFJ president Dominique Pradalie and secretary general Anthony Bellanger at the headquarters of the Syndicat National des Journalistes (SNJ). The talks focused on the increasingly precarious conditions faced by journalists in Pakistan.

According to a statement, the IFJ leadership urged Pakistan’s President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice to take immediate notice of the situation, warning that continued inaction could compel the federation to seek intervention from the United Nations.

During the meeting, the PFUJ delegation — including Secretary General Shakeel Ahmed, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists president Tariq Usmani, and foreign committee head Waseem Shahzad Qadri — laid out a grim account of intimidation and institutional pressure faced by journalists across the country.

In a joint statement, Pradalie and Bellanger condemned what they called “unlawful” actions against journalists, demanding the immediate withdrawal of cases filed under Peca. They called for robust legislation to protect media professionals, legal action against those responsible for targeted killings, and an end to what they described as “undeclared censorship” imposed by state institutions — branding it unconstitutional and undemocratic.

The IFJ leaders also voiced strong concern over forced layoffs in the media industry, urging Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to introduce urgent safeguards to halt what they termed the “economic massacre” of journalists in Pakistan. Expressing solidarity with the PFUJ, the IFJ said the issue would be taken up at its upcoming Congress, signalling that the spotlight on Pakistan’s press freedom crisis is set to intensify further.

With IANS inputs