Jan 28, Kathmandu- Pakistan on Tuesday passed a law criminalizing online propaganda and imposing prison sentences of up to three years, a move journalists say is designed to crack down on dissent.

The law targets anyone who “knowingly” spreads information online that they believe is “false or fabricated and likely to create a sense of fear, panic or unrest or instability.”

The law was swiftly passed through the National Assembly with little warning last week before being approved by the Senate after journalists walked out of the gallery in protest on Tuesday.

Senior journalist Asif Bashir Chaudhry, a member of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, said the government had assured journalists that it would consult them, but they had been “betrayed and stabbed in the back.”

“We really wanted an anti-propaganda law, but if it is being done through fear and pressure rather than open discussion, then we will challenge it at every available platform,” Chaudhry said. “Even under authoritarian rule, this law was not forced through parliament by the government.”

The bill will now be sent to the president for approval.

Analysts say the government is struggling for legitimacy after an election marred by allegations of fraud and the imprisonment of Pakistan’s most popular leader, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, on various corruption charges that his party says were politically motivated.

Khan’s supporters and senior leaders have also faced a severe crackdown, with thousands being rounded up.

The social media site SiteX has been shut down after posts alleging vote rigging spread after last February’s election.

Khan’s name has been censored on television and editors have reported increased surveillance of his programs.

Senator Syed Shibli Faraz, a member of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, called the new law “highly undemocratic” and said it would “enhance political oppression” of their activists.

However, government minister Tanveer Hussain said the bill would focus on monitoring social media. “I believe that in the future, social media will be the way to control the chaos in society,” he said.

According to Article 19 of the Human Rights Council, “disinformation” laws, including criminal laws, have proliferated globally in the last decade. This has enabled governments to control online speech and police to crack down on “fake news.”

According to the group, which promotes freedom of expression and information worldwide, such laws can hinder journalism.