Gazette notification for Punjab Defamation Bill 2024 issued
1.
On June 7, Acting Governor Malik Ahmed Khan signed the Punjab Defamation Bill 2024 and sent it to the Punjab Assembly, after it had been previously held by the PPP's governor.
According to the notification, the Punjab Defamation Bill 2024 is now in effect across Punjab. The law aims to tackle the widespread issue of misinformation on social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Under the bill, individuals spreading ‘fake news’ can be sued for defamation.
### Journalists’ Reaction
The journalist community has rejected the bill, calling it ‘non-democratic’. During a press conference, Arshad Ansari, president of the Lahore Press Club, stated that a protest was organized in the Punjab Assembly by government members following a Joint Action Committee meeting regarding the Defamation Bill 2024. He mentioned that the committee had proposed delaying the protest and requested a one-week postponement of the bill, but this request was not accepted.
### HRCP’s Reaction
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed significant concern over the defamation bill, with its chairman stating that the bill's content and language are “troubling on several counts.”
“First, it proposes a parallel structure to adjudicate claims of defamation. HRCP has consistently decried special parallel judicial structures on the grounds that they invariably violate fundamental rights and other universally accepted norms governing the fair functioning of the judiciary,” the statement said.
