IHC directs parliament to review social media rules

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 14 May 2022

The Islamabad High Court has directed the National Assembly to establish a committee for reviewing the social media rules. Chief Justice Athar Minallah stressed the importance of stakeholder consultation in refining these regulations.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the National Assembly speaker to form a committee to review social media rules prepared by the previous government, Pakistan Today reported.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, while hearing a petition challenging the social media rules prepared by the PTI government, remarked: “The government has now changed and those who were in the opposition previously and were opposed to these rules, are now in power.”

“Will it not be better for the government to consult with the stakeholders and settle the issue?” he inquired, adding that this court would always prefer the correction of laws to be done by those who are in government.

He stated: “The court has daily been observing what is constantly being done to freedom of expression here [in this country]. The rules must clarify everything without leaving anything open-ended so that they may not be misused tomorrow.”

The chief justice further said that the parliament should look into the matter and that he would look at the report once it was finalized.