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Business Recorder
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Senate passes Journalists and Media Professionals Bill
ISLAMABAD: The Upper House of the Parliament has unanimously passed the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals (Amendment) Bill, 2022, a legislative draft which provides that any person found involved in using 'abusive, violent or intolerant behaviour with a journalist during performing his duty – shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years or with fine not exceeding three hundred thousand rupees or with both.' In addition, seven other bills were passed by the Senate in its meeting on Monday presided over by Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani. Saleem Mandviwalla from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) presented the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals (Amendment) Bill, 2022 that received support from both treasury and opposition sides. 'We support this bill. All the clauses of this bill have been thoroughly reviewed,' said opposition lawmaker Ali Zafar, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Parliamentary Leader in the Senate. The bill seeks to amend the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021 with the insertion of some new sections including Section 20A. 'No person shall be permitted to use abusive, violent or intolerant behaviour with a journalist during performing his duty. However, any person who commits this offence shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years or with fine not exceeding three hundred thousand rupees or with both,' this Section reads. Another newly inserted Section 20B reads that no person shall force a journalist to disclose any source of information which he received during performing his duty except under the prevailing law. 'However, any person who violates this Section shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or with fine not exceeding one hundred thousand rupees or with both,' it reads. The Section 20C says that a journalist shall perform his duty independently without pressure of any person, group, organisation or department. 'However, any person who violates this Section shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or with fine not exceeding one hundred thousand rupees or with both.' The Section 20E (1) provides that any police officer who does not comply with the provisions of this law in relation to protection of journalist or any other public officer who 'wilfully delays or hinders in providing or processing the information shall be punished with imprisonment of either description not less than two years and up to three years and a fine of not less than one hundred thousand and up to three hundred thousand.' The Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals (Amendment) Bill, 2022 also provides for the establishment of a commission for the protection of journalists and media professionals. Meanwhile, seven other bills passed by the House were: Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2025, State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Abandoned Properties (Management) (Amendment) Bill, 2024, National Institute of Health (Re-organisation) (Amend-ment) Bill, 2024, Islamabad Capital Territory Charities Registration, Regulation and Facilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The following bills were introduced in the House and referred to the relevant standing committees. They were Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025, National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill, 2025. The Senate was adjourned till Thursday. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Pakistan: Viral video shows 'honour killing' in Balochistan desert; 11 held
A shocking video has gone viral on social media showing a couple being murdered in broad daylight in Balochistan, allegedly over an "illicit" relationship. The footage shows a group of men taking the couple out from vehicles into a desert area, where they are gunned down at close range. In the video, the woman, her head covered with a shawl, can be seen walking ahead of a man while a crowd looks on. Speaking in Brahvi, a local language, she says, "You are only allowed to fire at me, nothing else," before she is shot multiple times. She collapses after the third shot, with several more gunshots heard afterward. The incident, believed to have taken place three days before Eid-ul-Azha, has drawn widespread outrage across Pakistan. Civil society groups, religious leaders, and political figures have condemned the killings, demanding swift justice. Balochistan chief minister Sarfaraz Bugti confirmed on Monday that 11 people have been arrested in connection with the crime. An FIR was registered by Station House Officer Naveed Akhtar at Quetta's Hanna-Urak police station after the video surfaced online. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly condemned the act, calling the accused 'beasts' who deserve no leniency.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Bilawal condemns murder of couple in Balochistan
KARACHI: Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemned the brutal murder of a couple in Balochistan who had married by choice, expressing profound grief and outrage over the incident. A horrifying video of the crime went viral on social media the previous day, further intensifying public shock and sorrow. He said that those involved in this heinous murder are nothing less than beasts and deserve no mercy. He expressed hope that the perpetrators would be swiftly brought to justice. Highlighting the severity of the crime, he stressed that this is a clear act of gender-based terrorism and should serve as a test case for the Balochistan government. The PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Islam grants women the right to marry by choice, and the Constitution of Pakistan upholds and guarantees this right. He emphasized that the Pakistan Peoples Party has a clear manifesto of zero tolerance for violence and discrimination against women.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Issue new number plates for free'
Issue the new Ajrak-themed number plates for free or stop legal action for non-compliance, said Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) senior leader Dr. Farooq Sattar on Sunday. Sattar strongly criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), accusing it of running a feudal form of democracy in Sindh for the past 17 years. He warned that Karachi, the province's economic backbone, was being systematically exploited, while its citizens were being pushed to the wall. Addressing a press conference at MQM-P's Bahadurabad headquarters alongside senior leaders Syed Amin-ul-Haque, Zahid Mansoori, Shakil Ahmed, and others, Sattar said "there is a smoldering anger in Sindh's cities. Karachi is being looted in the name of culture, and the feudal rulers have shown unprecedented arrogance," he said. He questioned the recent promotion of Ajrak-themed number plates, claiming that behind this cultural facade lies a "new avenue of exploitation." He alleged that thousands of traffic policemen from interior Sindh have been deployed in Karachi and are extorting money from citizens under the pretext of enforcement. "Governor Sindh has rightly pointed out that Ajrak will lose its sanctity if it is used to loot people," he added. Sattar pointed out that while in interior Sindh more than 95% of vehicles reportedly operate without number plates, no action is taken there. "Karachi, the golden goose, is being slaughtered," he said, calling for either free issuance of number plates or a halt to arbitrary penalties. He also criticised the recent transfer of 40 employees from the Sehwan Development Authority to the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), terming it an "injustice" to Karachi's youth. "Karachi and Hyderabad domicile holders are being sidelined in government institutions," he said. The MQM leader said that the collapse of buildings in Lyari and failure to implement policies on dangerous structures reflect the PPP-led provincial government's negligence. He demanded that former chief ministers and local government ministers be named in FIRs for allowing illegal constructions during their tenure. "The Minister for Local Government is obligated to convene meetings on dangerous buildings every three months — but they have shown complete disregard," he noted. Touching on education, Sattar claimed that in the recent NED University entrance exam, 90% of students from Sindh's rural boards failed, while 76% from Karachi passed, showing a glaring disparity. "I feel sorry for these children. They are being made dependent on crutches by a broken system," he remarked. Sattar also criticized the Karachi mayor and the Jamaat-e-Islami's nine town chairmen, blaming them for poor city conditions. "The mayor says he is not responsible for lanes and neighborhoods. Then who is?" he asked.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
March against 'landgrab, forced conversionof Hindu women'
The Jeay Sindh Mahaz organised an eight-kilometer-long march in Mirpurkhas on Saturday decrying corporate farming, plunder of Sindh's resources and alleged forced conversion of Hindu women. A large number of people from Hindu community also took part in the march which was led by the JSM's Chairman Riaz Ali Chandio and Nawaz Shah Badahi. Chandio reiterated that the corporate farming cannot be accepted in any form even if the Pakistan Peoples Party's Sindh government dubbed the initiative as Public Private Partnership (PPP). The JSM's leader said instead of supporting the poor farmers the provincial government is only facilitating the large corporations and that too to the detriment of the peasants. Chandio alleged that Sindh's coal, oil, water and other resources have already been sold. He rejected the proposal for constructing new dams on the pretext that Indus river's water is being released in large volume in the sea during the ongoing flood season. He deplored that Sindh's major cities like Mirpurkhas still lacked public sector universities but the Sindh govt is planning to build a university in Punjab from the funds generated by selling the state's land to Bahria Town Karachi. Chandio reiterated that the country's law does not allow marriage of underage girls yet Hindu girls aged 14 to 15 years solemnize marriages and change their religions. Chenab dam The convener of Save Indus River Movement Syed Zain Shah, who is also head of Sindh United Party (SUP) has condemned the federal government's proposal to build Chenab dam in Punjab. He asserted in a statement on Saturday that the govt's plan is yet another move to rob Sindh of its due share of Indus water. He blamed the PPP and PMLN for being hands in glove with the establishment in making such plans.
