Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider has announced further consultations with all stakeholders on the controversial Defamation Bill 2024, assuring press organizations that he will not sign the bill without thorough consultation.

The announcement came after a meeting with representatives of the Joint Action Committee of Press Organizations at Governor House in Lahore.

The delegation included prominent journalists like Irshad Arif (President CPNE), Secretary of PFUJ, former President CPNE Kazim Khan, Mohammad Usman (Vice President), Navid Kashif (PBA), Imtiaz Shahid, Hafiz Usman Tariq, and representatives from CPNE, PBA, PFUJ, APNS, and the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors.

The journalists raised concerns about the Defamation Bill, arguing that it threatens freedom of expression. Governor Haider assured them that he would convene a meeting with all stakeholders in the coming days to discuss the bill and its implications. He emphasized the importance of thorough consultations before any decision is made.

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“The bill should have been discussed earlier, but I will not sign it without further consultation,” said Governor Haider.

The meeting was also attended by PPP leader Syed Hassan Murtaza, former MPA Makhdoom Murtaza Mahmud, and Shahzad Saeed Cheema (Information Secretary, Central Punjab).

Hassan Murtaza affirmed the PPP’s support for the media and stated that the party does not support the bill in its current form.