Pakistani journalists protest after Senate passes bill allowing control over social media content

Audio By Carbonatix

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s upper house of parliament on Tuesday passed a controversial bill that critics argue is designed to suppress freedom of speech.

The bill, which was passed by the lower house of parliament last Thursday, grants the government extensive powers to impose heavy fines and incarcerate social media users for spreading disinformation.

Journalists rallied on Tuesday in the country’s major cities, including Islamabad, Karachi, Faisalabad and Lahore, vowing to resist government efforts aimed at suppressing freedom of speech.

The approval on Tuesday by the Senate removes the last obstacle in the bill’s path. It will now be sent to the President Asif Ali Zardari, who is likely to sign it quickly.

Under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, authorities would create an agency with the power to order the immediate blocking of content deemed “unlawful and offensive” from social media, such as content critical of judges, the armed forces, parliament or provincial assemblies.

Those failing to comply could face temporary or permanent bans. The law also makes spreading disinformation a criminal offense, punishable by three years in prison and a fine of 2 million rupees ($7,150).

The latest development comes days after National Assembly passed it despite protests by the opposition. On Tuesday, Shibli Faraz, an opposition leader in the Senate, opposed the bill, saying it was being passed in a haste and without consulting all the stake-holders.

Zulfiqar Bukhari, a spokesman for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, said their Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, would challenge the legislation in the court. "The bill has been passed from the both houses of the parliament to silence the freedom of expression on the pretext of combating fake news, and no democracy-lover can support it,” he said in a statement.

Pakistan's media has faced growing censorship in recent years, but the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the law is necessary to limit the spread of disinformation.