First PECA Notice Issued to Lahore Press Club President, Journalists Announce Protest
Lahore:The **National Cybercrime Investigation Agency** has issued the **first notice under the amended Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA)** to Lahore Press Club President **Arshad Ansari**, sparking outrage among the journalist community.
According to details, the notice was issued on **September 19** following a complaint by a man named **Azizullah Khan**, accusing Ansari of running a defamatory campaign against him and certain police officers.
وزیر قانون اعظم نذیر تارڑ نے بغیر بحث کے پارلیمنٹ سے پیکا ترمیمی ایکٹ منظورکرا کر کہا اس قانون سے صحافیوں کو کوئی خطرہ نہیں اس قانون کے تحت لاہور پریس کلب کے صدر ارشد انصاری کو نوٹس جاری کر دیا گیاجس پرتمام صحافتی و وکلا تنظیمیں آج صبح 11بجے لاہور ہائیکورٹ میں پریس کانفرنس کرینگی pic.twitter.com/2zYzlFwlv2
— Hamid Mir حامد میر (@HamidMirPAK) September 21, 2025
Senior journalist **Hamid Mir** criticized the move, recalling that **Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar** had assured Parliament that the PECA amendments would pose no threat to journalists. “Yet today, the very same law has been used to target the Lahore Press Club president,” Mir wrote.
In response, **journalist bodies and bar associations** have announced a joint press conference at the **Lahore High Court** today to protest what they call a dangerous precedent against press freedom.
