ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Pakistani Parliament approved a bill softening a harsh martial law decree imposing prison terms for publishing defamatory material.
The criminal law (amendment) pill was adopted unanimously by the National Assembly (Lower House) after previous passage by the Upper Chamber. It now goes to President Mohammad Zia ul Haq for approval.
Zia’s then military government had issued the 1979 decree which local journalists said was designed to shield official excesses from press exposure.
The decree said defamation of a person even if true and in the public interest would be punishable by five years hard labour and a fine. The only exception was publication of court proceedings.
‘The Bill passed deletes many of the harsher provisions of the decree and restores previously available exceptions which legal sources saillow after freer reporting.
‘The government had refrained from enforcing the decree because of widespread protests from journalists.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 17, 1986
