CPNE Islamabad Seeks Amendments in Defamation Bill 2024 Passed in Punjab Assembly

Islamabad: 21 May 2024 – A meeting of the Rawalpindi Islamabad Federal Committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) was held on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at the office of Pakistan Group of Newspapers Patriot Building Sector G84 Islamabad in which Yahya Khan Saduzai, Tahir Farooq, Mumtaz Ahmad Sadiq, Rao Khalid Mehmood, Tazeen Akhtar, Mian Fazal Elahi, Qasur Jameel Rouhani, Safir Hussain Shah, Muhammad Ali Zanjani participated.

The meeting was officially started by Hafiz Abdul Rafi Khan Niazi (Editor The Daily Patriot) with recitation of Holy Quran.

In the meeting, Tahir Farooq presented a resolution against the Defamation Bill 2024 passed by the Punjab Assembly, in which it was demanded that amendments should be made in the Defamation Bill 2024 after consultation with all the stakeholders. The resolution was unanimously approved in the meeting.

In the meeting, the issue of giving less advertisement to monthly magazines by Press Information Department PID was also discussed and it was decided that this issue will be placed before PID.

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In the meeting, issues related to the change in the circulation formula of newspapers and journals were also considered and it was decided that the change in the circulation formula is the need of time and this issue will also be placed before the PID.

Tazeen Akhtar shared that the Bill is apparently aimed at fixing the social media and youtubers who are using abusive language and target the high officials in the personal matters. Two power houses are basically facing a challenge from social and digital media.The same may be the affected party through this bill.

He said that newspapers always do their best to publish truth only. Newspapers criticize the governments on just policy level and not on personal level. Therefore , we the editors of newspapers feel we are in safe zone but yes it depends upon the power houses when they start hitting at us as well.

So we need to highlight the point that the social media practitioners, youtubers and newspapers as recognized organizations should be dealt separately.

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