LAHORE: The opposition mounted a forceful and boisterous protest on Monday as the Punjab Assembly approved the contentious Defamation Bill 2024.
The media outlets called the bill “draconian” in its current shape, but the Treasury benches claim it aims to stop fake news.
The proposed bill was introduced in the House by Punjab’s Minister of Finance and Parliamentary Affairs, Mujtaba Mian Shuja-ur-Rehman, disregarding the media organizations’ desire to alter it.
Media representatives met with Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari earlier in the day and asked her to postpone the contentious measure for a few days.
When the law was introduced, there was a lot of commotion and intense opposition in the House, and the media protested by abstaining from any House business.