Pak investigation agency probes senior journalist Sami Abraham under PECA

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday launched a probe against a senior journalist Sami Abraham under draconian Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).

Abraham has been summoned on May 13 to the FIA cybercrime reporting centre. The journalist has been accused of levelling false allegations against senior government functionaries, reported ARY News.

The vice-president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Lala Asad Pathan said that the federal government should change its pattern instead of targeting journalists. He said that the voice of journalists could not be suppressed.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government initiated revengeful actions against the journalists. The FIA started a probe against journalist Sami Abraham after the registration of a case, reported ARY News.

Pathan said that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) nullified all regulations of the PECA and all journalists' associations considered it a black law. He criticised that FIA registered a case against a journalist despite receiving orders from the premier.

Prior to Abraham's case, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) filed a petition in the SC to challenge the IHC order which declared the amended PECA Section 20 as "unconstitutional".

In its petition, the intel agency stated that the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has been provided relief by the high court without any legal justification, whereas, the IHC also misinterpreted Articles 19 and 19-A of the Constitution, reported ARY News.