The country’s Federal Investigation Agency is not ready to give up its authority

Nov 21, 2012 16:07 GMT  ·  By

Pakistan’s defunct Prevention of Electronics Crime Ordinance (PECO) is still far from becoming law. Although it has been redrafted and resubmitted to the National Assembly’s Select Committee on Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill, the stakeholders couldn’t reach a consensus on some critical clauses.

According to The Express Tribune, the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), the organization responsible for writing the draft along with cybercrime lawyer Barrister Zahid Jamil, doesn’t share the same views with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The redraft requires FIA to follow strict guidelines to avoid misuse of power, but the agency is not so willing to give up on its authority.

Furthermore, the industry isn’t willing to give up on its interest either.

P@SHA members claim they’ve attempted to address all the shortcomings of the old PECO in an attempt to turn it into a “21st century bill.”

However, since the implicated actors couldn’t reach an agreement, the parliamentary panel meeting on the bill has been delayed indefinitely.