The National Assembly is set to debate a controversial new bill that seeks to sharply tighten state control over online content. The Prohibition of Obscenity and Vulgarity on Digital Media Bill 2025, introduced by PPP legislator Dr. Syeda Shahida Rehmani, proposes steep fines and prison terms for what it labels “immoral” or “indecent” material.
What the Bill Covers
The draft casts a wide net over what qualifies as “digital media,” encompassing everything from social platforms and streaming services to advertisements, music, web series, and even live broadcasts. Content that could fall under the ban includes depictions of extramarital affairs, “indecent” clothing, drug use, and language considered disrespectful toward religion, family values, or national ideology. Even mockery of practices such as hijab and purdah is explicitly listed as punishable.
Enforcement Machinery
To implement the law, the bill envisions three new institutions: a regulatory authority, a media board, and a tribunal. Investigations would be handled by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, while prosecutions would run under the existing Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.
The proposed regulatory board would include religious scholars, psychologists, a civil society representative, and media experts, with a government official as chairperson. This body would be empowered to ban content, recommend penalties, and initiate actions on its own. A three-member tribunal — including a judge-eligible lawyer, an IT specialist, and a media professional — would decide cases.
Penalties for Violations
For individuals, penalties range from one year in prison and a Rs500,000 fine for first-time offenses, to up to five years’ imprisonment and a Rs10 million fine for content related to religion, women, children, or family values. Repeat offenders could face even harsher consequences.
Platforms themselves would not escape scrutiny. Service providers would be legally required to flag uploaded content to the board within 15 days, delete prohibited material within 24 hours of notification, and keep user data for three years. Non-compliance could result in fines of up to Rs100 million and, in extreme cases, suspension of services. All offenses would be treated as non-bailable.
Concerns Over Free Speech
The bill’s introduction has already triggered unease among journalists and rights groups, who point to Pakistan’s troubled history with cybercrime legislation. The existing PECA law, passed in 2016 to address hacking and online harassment, has often been criticized for being used to silence dissenting voices.
Veteran journalist Mazhar Abbas of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists cautioned that lawmakers risk repeating history. “The very law passed hastily in 2016 was later turned against the same party that introduced it,” he said, urging the government to reconsider the scope of the new proposal.
What Comes Next
The bill is expected to be referred to a parliamentary committee before any vote in the National Assembly. If enacted, it would represent one of the most far-reaching attempts to police digital expression in Pakistan, raising sharp questions about how to balance cultural sensitivities with fundamental rights to free speech and online access.
