ISLAMABAD: In a meeting held at the Parliament Lodges, the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting unanimously passed the Motion Picture (Amendment) Bill, 2024, while also establishing a sub-committee to address issues related to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).

According to Senate of Pakistan, the session was presided over by Senator Sarmad Ali and saw participation from Senators Jan Muhammad Buledi, Syed Waqar Mehdi, and Pervaiz Rashid, who joined via Zoom. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, was also in attendance. The Motion Picture (Amendment) Bill, initially introduced by former Minister Murtaza Solangi, incorporated all five recommendations from the Committee, including changes to several sections concerning the formation of an Appellate Committee.

The Committee also reviewed the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, put forward by Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir. Discussion on this bill was postponed pending consultations with the Finance and Law and Justice Divisions. The primary focus of the bill is to include a Member of Parliament on the Board of Directors.

Additionally, the Committee addressed concerns raised by Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi regarding the registration of FIRs under PECA by provincial police rather than the designated authority. To resolve this, the Committee plans to summon provincial police and legal authorities for further deliberation and has formed a Sub-Committee to explore the matter comprehensively.