RMNP WPFD Roundtable rejects Amendment to PECA Act and terms it Black Law

Keynote Speaker PPP leader Hafiz Hussain Madni assures to inform Bilawal Bhutto about Journalists community concerns

Pakistan ranking in World Press Freedom Index dropped this year from 152 to 158 which is alarming, says RMNP President Ehsan Ahmed Sehar

All participants excluding one ruling party leader unanimously demand of Pakistani government to withdraw the recent amendment to PECA law

RMNP WPFD Roundtable demands of Chief Minister Punjab to withdraw the ban on the issuance of classified advertisements to local newspapers for the survival of local journalism in the biggest province of Pakistan

RMNP urges the immediate lifting of Govt Ads Ban on” Dawn Media Group which is facing ban from the federal and Punjab governments advertisement since October 2024 to punish it for an independent editorial policy and not following the official lines.

Journalist, retired bureaucrat & PPP leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed Madni delivering his key-note address in World Press Freedom Day Roundtable organised by the Rural Media Network Pakistan in collaboration with Daily Nawa-I-Ahmedpursharqia

Seven press clubs, two unions of journalists and press freedom advocates unanimously rejected the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Amendment Act 2025 (PECA) and demanded of the Pakistan government to withdraw the recent amendment 26-A made to the PECA Act and take all the stakeholders into confidence before new legislation. A resolution was adopted in the World Press Freedom Day Roundtable titled” Impact of Peca Law on Freedom of Expression & Journalists “organised by the Rural Media Network Pakistan in collaboration with the Digital Daily Nawa-I-AhmedpurSharqia on 3rd May in the premises of Punjab College AhmedpurEast. Journalist, retired bureaucrat, and PPP senior leader Hafiz Hussain Madni was the keynote speaker while RMNP President Ehsan Ahmed Sehar moderated this event.

Keynote speaker Hafiz Hussein Madni assured the participants that he will inform incumbent government main ally his leader PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari about the concerns of the journalist community regarding the recent amendment to the PECA Act. He stated that in this World Press Freedom Day ceremony, he has seen with his own eyes and heard with his ears that the current office bearers of seven press clubs and two unions of journalists have unanimously rejected the recent amendment made to the PECA Act and once again demanded the government to withdraw the recent amendment 26-A made to the PECA Act and take all the stakeholders into confidence in this regard. PPP leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed Madni said that he will give a special briefing to PPP central leaders Sherry Rehman, Shazia Marri and Nadeem Afzal Chan and others about this amendment eulogized the services of the RMNP President Ehsan Ahmed Sehar for commemorating World Press Freedom Day in rural Pakistan since 3rd 1999 besides the issuance of annual press freedom report. He also lauded the presentation of RMNP Sadiq Press Freedom Award every year which was instituted in 2005 to recognize courage and professional commitment by journalists and media organizations in Pakistan. It also serves to focus national and international attention on the state of FOP in Pakistan.

RMNP President Ehsan Ahmed Sehar presenting annual press freedom report while he also acted as moderator in the RMNP WPFD roundtable

Earlier, RMNP President Ehsan Ahmed Sahar said that Pakistan’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index 2025 has dropped from 152 to 158, which is very worrying and shocking. He said that freedom of expression is shrinking in Pakistan, legal challenges through restrictive legislation and cases, overactive regulatory authorities, continued violence against journalists with impunity, and threats to media professionals — Pakistani media is working in an environment of intimidation.

He revealed that 163 journalists killed in Pakistan since 2000 out of which eighty percent hail from small towns and rural areas. Similarly 13 journalists including a female contributor shot dead from Jan 2024 to 30th April 2025 in different areas of Pakistan which are all are district correspondents’ Ehsan stated that rural journalists are working in hostile environment and they cannot report freely due to the recent PECA amendment. Police, administrative authorities and feudal politicians threatening journalists to take action against them under PECA law if they dared to report against them in media. He observed that like Pakistani society Pakistani media is also polarized, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) divided into four groups and urban based so-called press freedom organisations role cannot be appreciated. Due to these reasons government is not paying heed to the genuine demands of the journalists community. Mr Ehsan severely criticised Punjab government for imposing ban on the release of the classified advertisement to national and regional newspapers. He informed the audience that national newspapers are receiving heavy amount of the advertisement from both Punjab and federal governments but local and regional newspapers are on the verge of collapse. RMNP President told that classified provincial government advertisement was main revenue source of local and regional newspapers which are not being issued to local and regional   newspaper since September 2024.

A View of the participants of World Press Freedom Day roundtable organised by the Rural Media Network Pakistan

Ruling party PML(N) Senior Vice President Mir Umar Saud while sharing his views in WPFD roundtable said that the amendment to the PECA Act is not against journalists but to tighten the grip on social media influencers who are running hate campaigns against state institutions. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) General Secretary Hakeem Muhammad Hasnain expressed his solidarity with journalists and urged the government to immediately withdraw amendment to PECA law. President Press Club Hatheji Syed Liaquat Ali Rizvi ,President Press Club Chanigoth Shahid Bashir Chaudhry, President Uch Press club & Media Group Uchsharif  Irshad Ahmed Shad,President Press Club Ahmedpur Sharqia Muhammad Rafiq Safdar Rajput, President  Ahmedpur Union of Journalists Ahmedpur Sharqia Dr. Abdul Hameed Saqib, General Secretary Hamidullah Khan Aziz, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee Imran Laar, Vice President Khalilur Rehman Khokhar, senior journalist Muhammad Zafar Khan, General Secretary National Press union Shabbir Ahmed Qureshi , General Secretary  Press Club Bahawalpur Sadar President Imam Bakhsh Bhatti, General Secretary of Press Club Mubarakpur Faraz Haider Khan, General Secretary  Press Club Chanigoth Abdul Hafeez Anjum, President  Press Club Khairpur Daha Shakeel Warren, President Press Club Nowshera Jadid Asif Awan, Chief Organizer AUJ Chaudhry Muhammad Akram, Secretary Information Yousaf Ghani Qureshi, Senior Vice President  Uch Press Club Athar Iqbal Mughal, and Patron-in-Chief of Press Club Sama Satta, Iftikhar Ahmed Alvi, rejected the amendments to the PECA Act, calling it a black law.

Participants of RMNP World Press Freedom Roundtable group photo after performing the Dastarbandi of RMNP President Ehsan Ahmed Sehar by the Press Clubs of Mubarakpur, Naushera Jadid and Khairpur Daha as a recognition of his services for defending press freedom in rural Pakistan

RMNP WPFD Roundtable in a resolution demanded of Chief Minister Punjab to withdraw the ban on the issuance of classified advertisements to local newspapers for the survival of local journalism in the biggest province of Pakistan. These newspapers highlight gender, human rights issues, administrative mal-practices, police excesses and sports activities of their respective areas and communities. Local publications are able to empower people in their rural communities to tell their stories to one and another, to give a voice to the rights of their community, and to fight the spread of mis-and dis-information .

In another resolution, RMNP demanded immediate lifting of Govt Ads Ban on” Dawn Media Group. Pakistan’s oldest and most respected group is facing ban from the federal and Punjab governments ‘advertisement since October 2024 due to its independent editorial policy and not following the official lines. Media industry is heavily dependent on governments advertisements for long time. Any media group deviating from the government-dictated policy receives such ban as mark of punishment,RMNP resolution says.

Source: RMNP