Govt aims to tackle social media through PECA: PM Imran Khan

Islamabad: Explaining the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) law, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that the government aimed at tackling social media through PECA.

Addressing to the nation, the prime minister said that it was enacted in 2016, and the current government had only made amendments to it. “A head of state who has not been involved in any type of corruption is not scared of the media,” Imrna Khan said, rejected notions that the PTI government was attempting to muzzle the media.

The prime minister said a "majority" of news stories being published and aired in the mainstream media were anti-government. “Some journalists resorted to mudslinging when it came to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, accusing that the funds raised by the hospital were used to fund the PTI,” he added.

"There are journalists who accept a bribe and publish filth," he stressed, claiming that the type of news stories published in Pakistani media cannot be reported in any other democracy of the world. Good journalism is an asset for society and only criticism helps governments improve, but resorting to mudslinging and saying filthy things about women should be controlled, he added.

PM wants sovereign policy for Pakistan

The prime minister said since he began politics, he wanted a sovereign policy for Pakistan, which was not dependent on any other state and was solely for the country’s benefit. Giving an example of a foreign policy that is dependent on other countries' interests, he noted Pakistan supported the US in its war on terror that resulted in several casualties on home soil.

Pakistan Suffered Heavily

"I was against this war since day one. No Pakistani was involved in the 9/11 attacks," the prime minister said. “Pakistan suffered heavily, in terms of human lives and capital. As many as 80,000 Pakistanis were martyred, 3.5 million people were displaced, and the country suffered losses worth $150 billion,” he maintained.

He also slammed the US for bombing Pakistan despite Islamabad being part of the war on terror. He also lashed at the PPP and PML-N for not stopping the drone attacks in the country, as during their time, 400 attacks took place.

"Shouldn't democratic have stood up for the people?" he asked, adding that former president Asif Ali Zardari had said he did not care for the collateral damage that was incurred during the drone attacks.