Pakistan govt plans stricter punishment for 'ridiculing' Army, judiciary: watch details of legislation

In a fresh crackdown on freedom of speech in Pakistan, the Shehbaz Sharif government has reportedly prepared a bill to curb criticism of the military and the judiciary.

The proposed legislation states that anyone who ridicules or scandalises the Army or judiciary through any medium will face a prison sentence of upto 5 years, or a fine of Rs 1 million, or both. Further, the accused can be arrested without a warrant, and the offence will be non-bailable and non-compoundable.

The cabinet summary states that recently the country has witnessed a spate of scandalous, derogatory and vicious attacks on certain institutions of the state, including the judiciary and armed forces, according to news outlet Dawn, as reported by PTI.

It adds that it is well-known that a deliberate cyber campaign has been launched by certain wings for self-serving motives with the objective of inciting and nurturing hatred against important state institutions and their officials, the report said.

It also states that such attacks are focused on undermining the integrity, stability and independence of the country’s state institutions. The summary says that judicial and army officials do not have the opportunity to step forward and negate scandalous, derogatory remarks while appearing in the media.

(With PTI inputs)

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