Pakistani journalists observe ‘black day’ against new law to regulate social media

Journalists chant slogans during a demonstration in Karachi, Pakistan, on January 28, 2025, to condemn a controversial ‘Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act’ bill passed by parliament that critics argue is designed to suppress freedom of speech. (AP/File)
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Updated 31 January 2025
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Pakistani journalists observe ‘black day’ against new law to regulate social media

  • Black flags will be hoisted at press clubs and union offices across Pakistan, rallies to be held 
  • Journalists’ union says will give call for sit-in in front of parliament house to repeal ‘black law’ 

KARACHI: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) is observing a ‘black day’ of protest today, Friday, against a new law aimed at regulating social media content that journalists and activists have widely described as an attack on freedom of expression.

The law, which amends the much-criticized Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) of 2016, establishes the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority to perform a range of functions related to social media, including being able to order the immediate blocking of unlawful content targeting judges, the armed forces, parliament or provincial assemblies or material that promotes and encourages terrorism and other forms of violence against the state or its institutions. The authority will have its own investigation agency and tribunals. Those found to have disseminated false or fake information face prison sentences of up to three years and fines of two million rupees ($7,200).

“In movement against PECA Act, PFUJ decides to observe Black Day tomorrow [Friday],” PFUJ said in a statement on Thursday. “On the appeal of PFUJ, black flags will be hoisted at press clubs and union offices across the country tomorrow. Rallies will also be taken out.”

The union said journalists would cover stories on Friday wearing black armbands, decrying that the upper and lower houses of parliament did not consult media stakeholders before passing the law. 

“Despite the repeated appeal of the PFUJ Joint Action Committee, the president also signed the bill without giving an opportunity to meet, which is regrettable,” PFUJ President Afzal Butt was quoted as saying.

“A nationwide campaign will be launched to mobilize journalists, lawyers, human rights activists, and civil society … A call for a sit-in in front of Parliament House for the repeal of this black law will be given.”

The operative part of the new bill outlines that the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority would have the power to issue directions to a social media platform for the removal or blocking of online content if it was against the ideology of Pakistan, incited the public to violate the law or take the law in own hands with a view to coerce, intimidate or terrorize the public, individuals, groups, communities, government officials and institutions, incited the public to cause damage to governmental or private property or coerced or intimidated the public and thereby prevented them from carrying on their lawful trade and disrupted civic life.

The authority will also crackdown on anyone inciting hatred and contempt on a religious, sectarian or ethnic basis as well as against obscene or pornographic content and deep fakes.

Rights activists say the new bill is part of a widespread digital crackdown that includes a ban on X since February last year, restrictions on VPN use and the implementation of a national firewall. 

The government denies the measures are aimed at censorship.


Nearly weeklong closure of Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing disrupts trade, traffic

Updated 29 min 29 sec ago
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Nearly weeklong closure of Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing disrupts trade, traffic

  • Pakistan shut down over dispute concerning Afghanistan’s construction of border post on Feb. 21
  • Since then 5,000 trucks and vehicles carrying perishable goods have been stranded on both sides

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A nearly weeklong closure of a key crossing on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border has disrupted bilateral trade and the movement of people, causing financial losses to traders and leaving people stranded in harsh winter conditions, officials said Thursday.

The Torkham border crossing has remained closed since Feb. 21 after Pakistan shut it down over a dispute concerning Afghanistan’s construction of a border post.

Since then, more than 5,000 trucks and vehicles carrying goods, including fruits and vegetables, have been stranded on both sides, awaiting the reopening of the trade route, according to Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, a director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Torkham also serves as a vital corridor for transporting goods between Pakistan and Central Asian countries, and Sarhadi urged both countries to resolve their dispute so that bilateral trade and movement of people could resume.

At Torkham, truck driver Najeeb Ullah said that he was forced to sleep in his vehicle because he can’t leave it unguarded on the road.

“We request Pakistan and Afghanistan to have mercy on us, as we are suffering without any reason,” he told reporters.

Another driver, Mustafa Khan, said that he was hoping to return to his northwestern city of Peshawar after delivering a supply of cement in Afghan city Jalalabad, but “I am stuck here since Friday, and I have no idea for how many days we will have to face this trouble.”

Farhad Nusrat, an Afghan citizen, said that he was returning home with his mother and children, and the closure of the border crossing has forced them to spend their days and nights in the open area. He appealed to Pakistani authorities to reopen the border.

Authorities said that hundreds of Pakistanis were also stranded on the other side of the border.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan. However, Abdul Jabbar Hikmat, the commissioner on the Afghan side of the border, confirmed the closure by Pakistan.

“Whenever Pakistani authorities conduct construction on their side, we say nothing. But whenever we do something, they close the border,” Hikmat said.

Border closures at Torkham are common because of disputes over new posts along the porous Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never officially recognized. Pakistan, meanwhile, has nearly completed a border fence to strengthen control.

The Torkham crossing is located on the edge of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Pakistani Taliban militants frequently target security forces.


Pakistan to host summit in April to seek investments in $6 trillion minerals sector 

Updated 47 min 17 sec ago
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Pakistan to host summit in April to seek investments in $6 trillion minerals sector 

  • Government’s National Minerals Harmonization Framework 2025 to be unveiled at summit 
  • Reko Diq mine is considered one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host a minerals summit in April this year, state media reported on Thursday, as the cash-strapped South Asian nation seeks investments in its vast natural reserves estimated to be worth $6 trillion.

Pakistan has enormous reserves of minerals and natural resources, which the government hopes can become a key source of economic development in the future. The country has one of the world’s largest porphyry copper-gold mineral zones. The Reko Diq mine in southwestern Balochistan has an estimated 5.9 billion tons of ore. Barrick Gold, which owns a 50 percent stake in the Reko Diq mines, considers them one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas, and their development is expected to have a significant impact on Pakistan’s struggling economy. The Kalabagh iron ore deposits are the largest known deposits in the country.

Pakistan also has vast, untapped reserves of rare earth elements, industrial minerals, non-metallic resources, and gemstones. Northern regions like Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are believed to harbor lithium reserves as well.

State-run APP news agency said on Thursday the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan’s leading exploration and production (E&P) company, in collaboration with the government of Pakistan and strategic partners, would organize the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025 (PMIF25) on April 8-9, 2025, in Islamabad. 

“The forum will serve as a premier platform for global stakeholders to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan’s emerging minerals sector and unlock the country’s vast mineral potential,” the media outlet reported. 

“During the event, the federal government will formally unveil Pakistan’s newly developed, investor-friendly National Minerals Harmonization Framework 2025 which aims to attract investment in the country’s mineral sector.”

Partners for the event include Barrick, Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Government Holdings (Private) Limited (GHPL), Pakistan Minerals Private Limited (PMPL), Frontier Works Organization (FWO), Mari Energies, and the Reko Diq Mining Company (RDMC).

PMIF25 will bring together high-level government representatives, foreign and local investors, leading corporations, policymakers, international diplomats, financial organizations, and industry experts to explore opportunities in Pakistan’s mining sector. 

“The event will highlight recent policy reforms, large-scale mining potential, and the country’s commitment to sustainable resource development, reinforcing its ambition to become a global mining hub,” APP said, calling the event a “transformative opportunity” for Pakistan’s mining sector that will help foster local and international partnerships and promote responsible mining practices. 


Pakistan opposition alliance demands transparent polls, release of political prisoners at Islamabad conference

Updated 55 min 2 sec ago
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Pakistan opposition alliance demands transparent polls, release of political prisoners at Islamabad conference

  • Alliance continues to hold two-day conference demanding “supremacy of constitution” in Islamabad hotel 
  • Says current parliament does not have any legal, moral or political status, demands rule of law in country

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s multi-party opposition alliance on Thursday rejected the results of the February 2024 election and demanded transparent polls be held across the country, calling on the government to release all political prisoners and ensure rule of law. 

The Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) — or the Movement for the Protection of the Constitution of Pakistan— kicked off its two-day conference on Wednesday to demand “supremacy of the constitution” at a local hotel in Islamabad. The alliance claimed on Wednesday that the government was pressurizing the administration of the hotel to cancel the event. The government strongly rejected the allegations. 

As per local media reports, Islamabad authorities sealed the Legend Hotel where the conference is being held on Thursday morning. Opposition parties’ members forcibly entered the premises after some of them climbed the gate and opened it from inside, allowing others to enter. Subsequently, opposition leaders announced that they would hold the conference in the hotel lobby while police personnel and the paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel remained stationed outside.

Pakistan’s leading opposition parties accuse the ruling coalition government of cracking down on their supporters, resorting to rights abuses, interfering in judicial matters and passing legislation to stifle dissent. The government rejects these allegations and accuses the opposition of creating hurdles in its mission to reform Pakistan’s economy. 

“The results of the rigged elections of Feb. 8, 2024, are responsible for the current political, economic and social crisis in the country,” a joint statement from the TTAP said. 

“Our constitution does not allow any Pakistani citizen to be harassed, arrested or imprisoned for participating in political activity and all political prisoners should be released immediately,” it added. 

The opposition alliance said Pakistan’s current parliament does not have any moral, political or legal status, demanding the government abolish the recently approved amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) act as they aim to stifle dissent. 

“The only solution to the current crisis in the country is the holding of free, transparent and fair elections,” the statement read. 

The alliance called on Pakistan’s political leaders to formulate a unified strategy to ensure stability and put the country on the path to development through a “national dialogue.”

“The opposition parties of Pakistan pledge to continue the collective practical struggle to implement the provisions of this agreement and this struggle will continue until the problems of Pakistan are resolved and the welfare of the people is ensured,” the statement said. 

Leaders from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by former prime minister Imran Khan, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Awam Pakistan, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) parties as well as lawyers, journalists and members of the civil society are attending the conference.

Pakistan has been plagued with political turmoil since Khan was ousted as prime minister via a parliamentary vote in April 2022. He was later convicted in a slew of charges and sent to jail in August 2023. 

Khan denies the charges and says they are politically motivated to keep him and his party away from power. He accuses the country’s powerful military of orchestrating his removal from office and backing his political rivals in the government. 

The military denies Khan’s allegations and insists it does not interfere in political matters. 


Pakistan-Bangladesh match washed out as hosts make meek exit

Updated 27 February 2025
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Pakistan-Bangladesh match washed out as hosts make meek exit

  • Pakistan crashed out of Champions Trophy after losses to New Zealand, India
  • India and New Zealand progress to Champions Trophy semifinals from Group A

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s last Champions Trophy group match with Bangladesh on Thursday was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Rawalpindi because of rain, ensuring the host country’s title defense ended with a wet whimper.
Pakistan, who won the 50-over tournament in 2017, lost to New Zealand and India and finish bottom of Group A.
Their last match had only pride at stake for both teams, with Bangladesh similarly out of the running for the semifinals.
Pakistan’s failure to advance beyond the group phase or even win a game was a huge letdown for a country hosting its first major tournament in three decades.
Pakistan finished fourth and last with one point in three matches, a position below Bangladesh, who also have one point in as many games but a better net run-rate.
Overnight rain in Rawalpindi continued on and off and despite several inspections by the umpires, no play was possible.
India and New Zealand progressed to the semifinals from Group A.
In Group B, South Africa, Australia and Afghanistan compete for the other two semifinal spots. England are out of contention.


Rain delays toss in Pakistan-Bangladesh Champions Trophy match

Updated 27 February 2025
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Rain delays toss in Pakistan-Bangladesh Champions Trophy match

  • Dark clouds hovered over the stadium and the two umpires will inspect the conditions once the rain stops
  • Both teams are already out of semifinal race after losing their first two games in the 50-over tournament

RAWALPINDI: Overnight rain which continued on and off delayed the toss in the Champions Trophy dead-rubber Group A match between hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Stadium on Thursday.

Dark clouds hovered over the stadium and the two umpires, Adrian Holdstock of South Africa and Michael Gough of England, will inspect the conditions once the rain stops.

Both teams are already out of the semifinal race after losing their first two games in the 50-over tournament.

India and New Zealand progressed out of Group A.

In Group B, South Africa, Australia and Afghanistan compete for the other two semifinal spots. England are out of contention.