- Two years imprisonment proposed for persons selling or dealing in illegal mobile SIMs
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Technology on Thursday passed the Cybercrime Bill 2015 amidst protest and opposition.
The Cyber Crime Bill was introduced in the National Assembly to prevent the surge in cybercrime in the country as terrorists are using information technology to further their activities in the country.
Committee Chairman Capt (r) Safdar informed committee members that more than 205 objections from different people were raised during the creation of the bill. He said that these objections have been addressed in positive way.
At the onset of the meeting, Owais Ahmed Khan Leghari protested the fact that an approved draft of the bill had not been shown to the members. He said that when the bill had been endorsed by all members there was no need to pass it secretly with added amendments. Safdar responded that the amendments proposed in the bill were meant to make it compatible with anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering laws.
Under the new law, two years imprisonment has been proposed for persons that sell or deal in illegal mobile SIMS. An amendment has been proposed in Section 34 of the bill, proposing stringent punishment for persons who violate online business agreements. Children below the age of 13 years have been exempted from punishments, the bill proposed.
He also said that Javed Hashmi would not have been punished if cyber laws were enforced in the Musharraf era.
A PTI member protested Safdar’s statement and said that without PML-N, Pakistan would be in a better position and be free of corruption and poverty.
Meanwhile, Owais Leghari urged the IT Ministry to resolve the YouTube issue, and said that it had become embarrassing for the federal government.
Committee members also discussed in detail the issue of the Army chief Raheel Sharif’s picture on posters during local election campaign in Punjab.
Some members said the people who are decorating their posters with the COAS’s pictures are inviting the army to take power into its own hand.
The members of the committee also swapped allegation against each others, and said that they were not doing enough for the welfare of the masses.
