The controversial Pakistan Electronic Crimes Bill was passed into law despite the civil society, internet rights activists and I.T experts pleading with the government to make the law less vague so as to ensure that the fundamental right of freedom of expression was not hurt for ordinary citizens. The legislation, that has been termed as extremely oppressive, was championed by the Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Anusha Rahman. She has termed the criticism on the legislation as baseless as, according to her, the legislation is for cyber terrorism and not to curtail dissent against the bad policies of the government.

 

However, some people don’t believe that the newly passed law is helpful for citizens

Pakistanis have been tweeting at Anusha Rahman and the trend #ArrestMeAnushaRehman has been getting a lot of people’s fancy.

This is what people are saying.

 

 MESSAGE TO MS. RAHMAN: Please don’t kill the messenger (or the message, they are only harmless kids) 

 

Like this person who thinks such bolna gunnah hai ab:

 

And this one who thinks her words on social media shouldn’t be criminalized

 

This parody account has something to add too

https://twitter.com/MaryamNShararti/status/764051964317491200

Not sure if this account still exists.

 

This person thinks the new law goes against what Jinnah has said about Pakistan

 

This “sexy” Pakistani wants to be arrested too

 

And this guy who is being very visual

 

This one who’s playing with fire

https://twitter.com/Sadia__A/status/764071937479888898

 

This PTI fan who believes tabdeeli has finally arrived

 

And this guy

 

Basically, this guy just summed it all up

 

All humor and trolling aside, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (now Act) is an actual matter of concern because Pakistan needs critique so as to ensure checks and balances on all levels of government, Sir John Acton, said “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”

Famed Pakistani writer Bina Shah raised her concerns regarding the newly passed law in International Business Times, recently. She said, “the proponents of the bill will never admit that Pakistanis who are working to oppose this bill and to make it fair and equitable are actually more patriotic than those who support it. Only by criticism and critique can we as a country improve ourselves.”

Here’s hoping that criticism, critique and humor is not what is clamped down after this law and actual cyber terrorism is curtailed because we know how real world terrorism has become an uncontrollable demon for Pakistan, and cyber terrorism does have a potential of being problematic. Here’s hoping that the future of Pakistan is brighter than what it appears to be.

 

Cover Image via: Dawn.com