Marvi Memon Letter to PM on Cybercrimes

Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister Secretariat
Islamabad

Subject: Cyber Crime Legislation

Date: April 11, 2011

Dear

When government proposed a faulty bill on cyber crime legislation namely “Prevention of Electronic Crime Ordinance” in 2009, I along with MNA Anusha Rehman opposed its passing in the IT Standing Committee and proposed certain critical amendments to make it human rights compliant and international convention compliant.

Unfortunately, those recommendations were not taken up and an attempt to pass it on the floor of the house was made. When we successfully blocked that you decided to have a select committee formed to deal with the issue. We were encouraged that the voice of reason had worked and you had decided to review faulty legislation which would have made Pakistan an international pariah and a police state. However we were most disappointed that the two MNAs who understood the issues best and who had championed the correct legislation were not included in your select committee. Furthermore we have been told that the select committee which was made in 2009 has still not met and its 2011 now.

My efforts to fix the legislation were internationally recognized and I was invited by the Council of Europe for a conference on cyber crime last week in Colombo. Attached is a summary of the conclusions. An FIA Director was also present and we both concurred that we needed correct legislation on an urgent basis to curb cyber crime without creating a police state.

I would appreciate it if you could reconstitute the select Committee and include both myself and MNA Anusha Rehman because we have the most practical experience on the same. Along with giving us competent draftsmen so that we can produce the consensus document which is worthy of Pakistan at the earliest.

I also attach extracts of the potential abuse scenarios the current PECO draft could have which are indeed very dangerous for Pakistan.

Sincerely,

MNA Marvi Memon

Cc: IT Standing Committee Chairman