PPP against Punjab Defamation law, says Governor Saleem

DUBAI: Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider asserted on Monday that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is against the newly enacted defamation law, which imposes curbs on press freedom, ARY News reported.

The legislation about defamation became a provincial law on Saturday after acting Governor Malik Ahmad Khan — a PML-N member — signed the Punjab Defamation Act 2024 in the absence of PPP-nominated Governor Sardar Saleem Haider, who left for Dubai on leave.

In a statement, Governor Saleem said he had made efforts to prevent the passage of the ‘controversial’ bill. The bill was passed into law 15 days after I refused to sign it, he added.

Meanwhile, PPP Punjab General Secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza assured that his party would play its part in the “withdrawal” of the controversial law.

Talking to journalists in Lahore, Murtaza said that PPP was neither taken on board regarding the Punjab defamation law nor budget preparations.

He added that his party’s legal team was working on the disputed legislation and will make efforts to convince the provincial government to withdraw it.

Murtaza further claimed that his party was informed about the defamation bill when it was presented before a committee. “PPP was never willing to be part of that legislation,” he added.

He further clarified that Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider’s foreign visit had been planned before the legislation was tabled and passed in the provincial assembly. The bill would have been approved anyhow even if the governor sent it back to the House, he added.

The defamation law had been passed by the interim governor of Punjab which belongs to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said Murtaza.

The law has been widely criticized by journalists, civil society organisations, as well as the opposition.

After the bill was passed by Punjab assembly last month, the governor hinted that he would send the bill back to the provincial assembly for further consultations due to the criticism.

However, Governor Saleem Haider left for Dubai paving the way for the acting governor Malik Ahmad Khan to sign the controversial bill into a piece of legislation.

Journalists’ reaction

The journalist community rejected the bill and termed it ‘non-democratic

During the press conference, Arshad Ansari, the president of the Lahore Press Club, stated that a protest was called in the Punjab Assembly on behalf of government members following a meeting of the Joint Action Committee regarding the Defamation Bill 2024.

He added that the committee had offered to delay the protest and requested the government members to postpone the bill for a week, but this request was not accepted.

HRCP’s reaction

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed grave concern over the defamation bill 2024, with its chairman saying the content and language of the bill is “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.