Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman voiced his discontent over President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
Speaking to media in Islamabad on Thursday, Rehman reacted to the president’s endorsement of the controversial law. “We were told one thing, yet something entirely different was done," he said.
Rehman maintained: "Asif Zardari had assured journalist organisations that their suggestions would be considered, but he signed the act the very next day.”
He said: "The decisions of such magnitude should not have been made in this manner."
The JUI-F chief revealed that he had personally discussed the PECA Act with the president, who had informed him that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi would visit Islamabad within a day or two to consult journalists and consider their recommendations.
“He also assured that the government would deliberate on these proposals. However, I found out the next morning that the president had already signed the act,” he disclosed.
Fazlur Rehman remarked that President Zardari should not have taken such a step, adding, “Decisions at this level should not be made in this manner.”
He further emphasised that the concerns of journalists should have been addressed, and all stakeholders should have been consulted before finalising the law.
