Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad rejected on Wednesday the Supreme Court Bar Association's (SCBA) criticism on the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act (PECA), saying the body's demands were "contradictory" and it must come up with a clear stance on the legislation.

The minister, in a Twitter message, said that while SCBA wanted action against those running sham social media campaigns, the body was opposing the government’s initiative to introduce an effective law in this regard.

“Let’s clearly decide what we want,” Fawad wrote.

PECA Ordinance: PM ‘misguided’, observes IHC

On Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) observed that Prime Minister Imran Khan had been misguided regarding the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022.

A single bench of Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard a petition moved by President Lahore High Court Bar Muhammad Maqsood Buttar challenging the Ordinance 2022 and issued notices to all the concerned parties and also directed the Attorney General for Pakistan to appear before the court on the next date of hearing.

PFUJ observes ‘black day’ against PECA Ordinance

During the proceedings, the chief justice, while referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address to the nation, said it seems that no one told the PM that there are laws for contempt other than PECA.

“The law is used against the critics,” he added.

He further said apparently, it seemed that the prime minister had been misguided over the PECA.

In his address to the nation on Monday, the premier had defended the amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016 by saying that it was being used to curb media freedom.

"The Peca law was made in 2016. We are only amending it," he said.