MEMBERS of the civil society are taking strong exception to the Punjab Defamation Bill recently adopted by the provincial assembly despite strong opposition by the media community and the opposition members. They are also apprehensive of the plans of the Federal Government regarding Media Regulation Authority terming the move as an attempt to stifle media freedom. The Punjab Government is defending the law arguing it is not against journalists but against the menace of fake news.
A free media is crucial for progress and development of a society and its role as a watchdog against wrong-doings of the government helps promote the ideal of good governance which is championed by almost all segments of the society. However, it has to be acknowledged that there is a big difference between objective and fair reporting and propaganda aimed at misleading public opinion for the sake of vested interests. Fake news has become a major challenge for all nations but this is particularly so in our case as scant respect is shown to responsible reporting and fake stories are freely produced and propagated to advance a particular agenda or malign personalities and even national institutions. No one would approve or support curbs on freedom of media but it is also the responsibility of journalists to discourage the tendency of fake news and show no sympathy for those who bring bad name to their noble profession. In this backdrop, there seems to be nothing wrong with the bill passed by the Punjab Assembly as, according to Provincial Information Minister, Azma Bokhari, a person who lies under the guise of a journalist with a specific agenda will face the music under the new law. Defending the move, she said the need to introduce new defamation law was felt because under the old defamation law, no case could go beyond the issuance of a notice by a court of law. The law is surely against fake news but there is a tendency in Pakistan to manipulate laws to penalize political opponents and the voices of dissent. Therefore, the provincial government should better seek input from all stakeholders against misuse of the law and incorporate necessary safeguards into the law in this regard. Similarly, the Federal Government too must not act in haste and hold consultations with representatives of the media community before establishment of the proposed Authority.
