Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021 ●​ Grant PTA unconstitutional censorship powers. ●​ Challenged before the Islamabad High Court, which directed revisions, no changes implemented as of yet. ●​ The government has been blocking social networking sites citing non-compliance with the rules and takedown requests. [Proposed] Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 ●​ Despite discussions since 2005, no formal data protection law has been enacted. ●​ Existing draft mandates data localization, requiring critical personal data to be stored in Pakistan. ●​ Proposed data protection regulator under federal government control. ●​ Uses ambiguous terms such as "national security," "legitimate interest," and "public interest.” Punjab ●​ Hastily passed with jurisdiction extending beyond the Defamation Act, province. 2024 ●​ Allows public officeholders to be claimants and shifts burden of proof to defendants; claimants do not need to prove loss or damage. ●​ Cases are heard by government-appointed tribunals with powers to impose fines and disable social media accounts. ●​ Defendants do not have the right to a defense by default; they must request permission to present one. ●​ Remains under challenge before the Lahore High Court. Prevention of ●​ Further tightens the government’s control over the digital Electronic Crimes landscape. (Amendment) Act, ●​ Introduces offenses such as false and fake information with 2025 vague and ambiguous framing throughout. Sri Lanka Sri Lanka’s ongoing challenges with digital rights are largely rooted in the government's consistent violations of freedom of expression. Legal frameworks such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act of 2007 have been used to justify the ethno-religious targeting of 17