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In a first, a female lawmaker in the Punjab Assembly, belonging to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), faced allegations of spreading 'fake news' under the newly-enacted amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), it was learnt on Wednesday. A compliant had been lodged for the registration of the first information report (FIR) against PML-N member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) Sonia Ashir under Peca. Sonia Samson, mother of a minor rape victim, moved the application to the Cyber Crime Wing (CCW) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). In her application to the CCW director in Lahore for the registration of FIR, Samson accused Ashir and others of spreading fake news that the minor's rape case had been decided and that the court had awarded 25-years sentence to the accused. According to Samson, the fact was that the accused was still behind the bars and his post-arrest bail was rejected on January 21, 2025 by the sessions court. She added that the police had not even submitted challan of this case before the court. She said that these people allegedly made a video and uploaded it on the social media to spread the 'fake news' which was a crime under Peca. She requested the FIA CCW to register a criminal case against the MPA for spreading fake news. Meanwhile, the Christian's True Spirit (CTS) – a local NGO working for the rights of women and children – wrote a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, requesting her to look into the matter and take appropriate action to prevent misuse of authority by public office-holders. CTS Executive Director Katherine Sapna said that Sonia Ashir, the parliamentary secretary on human rights and minority affairs, disseminated fabricated news on social media. She added that her statement was false and caused unnecessary panic and confusion amongst the public. The letter stated that Ashir and her associates had falsely stated that they were actively pursuing the legal proceedings in the rape case, whereas the CTS was diligently fighting for justice on behalf of the victim, adding that the hard work of CTS attorneys led to the rejection of the accused's bail petition. She added that there was no involvement of MPA Ashir or her group in the matter. "This kind of misinformation not only undermines the integrity of the legal process but also jeopardises the safety and well-being of all the parties involved, especially the victim her family," Sapna said. Talking to The Express Tribune, MPA Sonia Ashir rejected the impression that she deliberately spread fake news. She said that the victim's mother had approached her and told her about the 25-year sentence awarded by the court to the accused. Ashir said that they made the video regarding dispensation of justice to the victim's family on the information provided to her by the victim's mother. However, she added that when she came to know that she was misled, she got the video deleted from the social media account.
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