Comparative Perspectives on the Right to Privacy - Pakistani and European Experiences

This book focuses on devising a comprehensive protective mechanism for the right to privacy in Pakistan. It argues that the existing legal regime lacks an effective remedy for victims of privacy violations and emphasizes the need for comprehensive legislation to safeguard this crucial right. Pursuing a multidisciplinary approach, the book thoroughly explores the issue of media intrusions into people's privacy through thematic media content analysis and highlights the significant impacts of these intrusions on victims' lives.

In the process, the book addresses various conceptual aspects, their relevance, and their implications for privacy-related disputes during adjudication. Recognizing that theoretical underpinnings alone may not be sufficient to create a legal regime 'from scratch,' it explores the enforcement of the right to privacy under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as interpreted and enforced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The book subsequently goes beyond exploring international law by analyzing the impact of media-and-privacy cases on privacy protection in two major member states: Germany (a civil law jurisdiction) and the United Kingdom (a common law jurisdiction). Drawing upon these conceptual and comparative legal deliberations and findings, the book provides concrete guidelines for a new privacy law in Pakistan.

Dr Sohail Aftab is a civil servant currently serving as a Director in the Press Information Department of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in the Government of Pakistan.

Sohail Aftab holds a PhD and was a visiting lecturer at the International Islamic University, Air University, Bahria University, Preston University, and the University of Hamburg. He is the recipient of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) fellowship.