ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari voiced his reservations regarding the recent cyber crime bill, which was adopted by the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology on Tuesday.
According to sources, the PPP chairman forbid his party supporters to support the bill in its current state. Bilawal urged his party leaders to oppose the bill in its current state and without any amendments to it. According to the PPP chairman, certain points included in the cyber crime bill were against basic human rights.
The government, on the other hand, has initiated efforts to contact the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership and clear any apprehensions or reservations they might harbour regarding the bill.
Under the law terrorism, electronic fraud, exaggeration of forgery crimes, hate speech, pornographic materials about children, illegal access of data (hacking), as well as interference with data and information system (DOS and DDOS attacks), specialised cyber-related electronic forgery, and electronic fraud, etc. would be punishable acts.
The bill, if passed into law, will criminalise cyber-terrorism with punishments of up to 14 years in prison and Rs5 million in penalty. Similarly, child pornography will carry sentences of up to seven years in jail and Rs5 million, with the crimes being non-bailable offences.
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