The contentious Defamation Bill 2024 was approved by the Punjab Assembly on Monday, prompting a loud and boisterous protest from the opposition.
The bill, according to the Treasury benches, is intended to combat fake news, while media organizations have described it as "draconian" in its current form.
Despite the media organizations' efforts to modify the draft law, Punjab's Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Mian Shuja-ur-Rehman presented it in the House.
Earlier in the day, media representatives met with Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, seeking the postponement of the controversial bill for a couple of days.
When the bill was introduced, there was a clamor and fierce protest in the House, and journalists boycotted the proceedings to express their displeasure.
Journalist leaders believed that the government stabbed them in the back after they were negotiating about the bill.
Opposition Leader Ahmed Khan Bhachar stated that the Defamation Bill 2024 is a "black law" and that his side of the bench will not vote to pass it.
He made the statements after the opposing benches' amendments were rejected by the House. During the session, opposition members protested loudly and tore up copies of the bill.
According to the bill, “Subject to the provisions of this Act and any other law for the time being in force, defamation shall be a civil wrong, and the person defamed may initiate an action under this Act without proof of actual damage or loss, and, where defamation is proved, general damages shall be presumed to have been suffered by the person defamed.”
The bill would also apply to fake news disseminated via YouTube and other social media sites. Under the legislation, tribunals will be established to hear defamation lawsuits. The tribunals will be required to decide the matter within six months.