Lahore, The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has raised significant concerns regarding the draft defamation bill recently tabled in the Punjab Assembly. The commission argues that the proposed legislation could severely restrict free speech and fair judicial proceedings.

According to Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the bill includes troubling elements such as the creation of parallel judicial structures specifically for defamation cases, which could undermine the fundamental rights guaranteed by traditional legal frameworks. Additionally, the bill would allow the government to appoint judges to these new defamation tribunals with higher allowances and benefits than those received by the existing provincial judiciary at the district level.

The draft legislation mandates that all defamation claims must be resolved within 180 days and allows tribunals to issue preliminary decrees for sums as large as PKR 3 million without a trial. The HRCP fears that such measures could lead to orders being passed without due process, further endangering freedom of expression.

Another significant point of contention is the special legal protections the bill offers to holders of constitutional offices, including the prime minister and military chiefs, by allowing their defamation claims to be heard exclusively by special one-member tribunals from the Lahore High Court, which the HRCP views as a violation of the principle of equality before the law.

The HRCP also criticized the rushed nature of the bill’s introduction, which allowed only five days for consultation with stakeholders, insufficient for a bill with such profound implications on the digital and media landscape in Punjab.