Journalists' body to 'approach' UN against Defamation law

LAHORE: The Joint Action Committee announced a joint struggle against the ‘controversial’ Defamation Bill, hinting at approaching human rights organizations including the United Nations (UN) against the law, ARY News reported

All journalist organisations including the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), Pakistan Broadcasting Agency (PBA), and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) attended the meeting.

In the meeting, it was decided to take various protest measures, including boycotting government events, national and provincial assembly sessions, and budget coverage.

The joint action committee also decided to consult with human rights organisations including the UN, bar councils, and other political parties to take effective legal action against what it called the controversial law.

Earlier in the day, Acting Governor Punjab Malik Ahmad Khan assented Punjab Defamation Bill 2024, which was earlier passed by the provincial assembly.

As per details, Acting Governor Malik Ahmed Khan sent the document to Punjab Assembly after signing the bill. The defamation bill will be effective after being officially published in the government gazette.

Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan earlier hinted at not assenting to the Defamation Bill 2024 and sending it back to the provincial assembly for reconsideration.

READ: Punjab Assembly passes Defamation Bill 2024

The governor had said that he would ask the Punjab government to reconsider the bill. Sardar Saleem Haider Khan said that the bill should not have been passed ‘in a hurry’.

Defamation law challenged

The Defamation law passed by Punjab assembly to curb the spread of fake news has also been challenged in Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday.

The plea filed in the LHC stated that the defamation law is against basic rights and the constitution.

The government is trying to silence the public through this law and the defamation law is being used to curtail freedom of expression and to avoid public criticism, the petitioner argued.

The petitioner urged the court to declare the Defamation Bill 2024 as unconstitutional and void.