ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly passed two controversial bills in today’s session – PECA Amendment bill and Digital Nation Pakistan bill. Both laws are related to restrictions and monitoring social media and electronic media, and dictate the penalties for violations of the new laws.
PECA Amendment
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Parliamentarian Rana Tanveer presented PECA amendment bill in the NA today. The government has some key changes in the present PECA 2016 Act, which will pave the way for “Social Media Protection Authority”. The aim of the authority is to ‘fix’ fake news spreaders.
The authority would base Islamabad while its other offices in the provincial capitals and at such other places across Pakistan as the Authority may deem appropriate. The authority would act against those who spread hatred against the ideology of Pakistan, and incite the public to violate the law. The mandate of the authority also includes clamping down on individuals, groups, communities and organisations intimidating or terrorizing the public. HUM News English covered the PECA Amendment in detail here.
Digital Nation Pakistan bill
Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja presented the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024, which was also approved by the National Assembly.
This new law will create a digital identity for citizens; including but not limited to data on health, assets and other social indicators. It will also improve citizens’ access to departments managing ID cards, land records, birth certificates and health records.
The bill states that it will “provide for the transformation of Pakistan into a digital nation, enabling a digital society, digital economy and digital governance”.
The bill also aims to expedite the creation of “a forward-looking digital society”. It includes the establishment of the “National Digital Commission (NDC)” and the “Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA)”.
Digital Nation Pakistan bill will create a digital identity for citizens; including but not limited to data on health, assets and other social indicators.
The NDC will be headed by the prime minister, and will include all four chief ministers. Additionally, heads of organisations like the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will also be part of the commission. On the other hand, PDA will be led by top industry experts.
The NDC will be responsible for formulating policy, provide governance and ensure coordination amongst stakeholder bodies. The PDA would be responsible for developing the implementation plan for the policy as determined by the NDC.