President signs PICA Amendment Bill, Election Act Ordinance

ISLAMABAD, Feb 20 (SABAH): President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi on Sunday has signed the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PICA) Amendment Bill and Election Act Amendment Ordinance (EAAO).

According to details, the PECA Amendment Act includes the definition of a person, which includes a person, a company, an association, an institution or an authority, while the amendment bill increases the imprisonment for attacking the identity of any person from 3 to 5 years.

As per the ordinance, the aggrieved party, who will be the representative or guardian of the complainant, has been declared a felony and the offense is non-bailable.

It is pertinent to mention here that the amendment bill states that the trial court will decide the case within six months and will submit the details of the case to the High Court every month.

The ordinance states that federal and provincial governments and officials will be asked to remove obstacles. The Chief Justice of each High Court will nominate a judge and officers for these cases.

Under the EAAO, the members of all assemblies, senates and local governments will be able to speak during the election campaign, and any public office holder and elected representative will be able to visit the constituency.