The central Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the media bodies announced that they would boycott covering government affairs, including official events like sessions of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies, as well as upcoming federal and provincial budgets, in protest of the approval of the controversial Punjab Defamation Bill, 2024, which went into law.
Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, the acting governor of Punjab, officially signed the contentious bill into law on Saturday.
Following an emergency meeting to discuss the development, the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) decided to record their protest against the law.
The Punjab Defamation Bill, 2024, is being terminated for violating human principles.
At the conference, it was decided to launch a coordinated campaign against the “black law” and pursue strong legal action against it.
The media organizations made the decision to discuss the contentious law with political parties, bar associations, and the UN in addition to contacting other national and international human rights organizations.
They declared that protests against the defamation law would be held in front of the pertinent government buildings.
