IHC declares PECA Ordinance as unconstitutional

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) Ordinance as unconstitutional.

Announcing the four-page verdict, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah nullified the clause 20 of the PECA Ordinance by declaring it in clash with the constitution.

Earlier, the court had reserved the verdict after completion of the arguments. Hearing the case, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that the people's rights are being violated. “Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been submitted to the court and they were also trampled. The sections were imposed only to avoid court.”

Director FIA Babar Bakht submitted a report to the IHC. He said that the law has been made and there is pressure to implement it. Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that someone has to be held accountable.

Earlier, IHC had termed the PECA Ordinance as black and draconian law. Chief Justice Athar Minallah had remarked that the government had made the PECA Ordinance worst than the NAB Law. "The people will not write anything in fear of being arrested after the promulgation of the ordinance," he observed.