Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors has rejected the approved bill on defamation by the Punjab government and the federal government’s proposed amendment bill.

In a statement issued by AEMEND, it was stated that any law passed without considering the stakeholders would be equivalent to suppressing freedom of expression.

AEMEND’s General Body meeting was held in Lahore on Thursday, where the current state of press freedom in the country and the challenges faced by electronic media were discussed.

The meeting highlighted that AEMEND is not against legislation regarding defamation and fake news, but before enacting any law, it is essential not only to take stakeholders into confidence but also to ensure that such legislation does not adversely affect freedom of expression.

During the General Body meeting, elections for the office-bearers for the years 2024 to 2026 were also held. According to the results, Zeeshan Abbas from Geo News was elected President, Tariq Mahmood from Samaa News as Secretary-General, Ayaz Khan from Express News as Senior Vice President, Muhammad Usman from News New as Vice President, Rehan Ahmed from Hum News, and Mian Tahir from 24 News as Joint Secretaries. Shahab Mahmood will be responsible for the Finance Secretary position.

Other members of the Executive Committee include Mubarak Ali, Ovais Iqbal, Muhammad Noshad Ali, Kamran Lashari, Mohsin Raza, Masoom Rizvi, Imad Yousaf, and Zahid Mazhar.

Several resolutions were also passed during the meeting.