Summary The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has passed a law introducing jail terms, fines and reporting restrictions for journalists covering assembly proceedings and related matters.
PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has passed legislation introducing prison terms, financial penalties and reporting restrictions for journalists in relation to the coverage of assembly proceedings.
Under the new law, the Speaker has been granted the authority to bar any journalist from covering proceedings of the provincial assembly. The Speaker may also impose bans on individuals for a specified period.
The legislation further authorises the Speaker to prohibit the publication or broadcast of any assembly proceedings. Anyone found violating such restrictions may face up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs1 million.
According to the bill, journalists or media organisations found to have distorted or misreported assembly proceedings could face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to Rs300,000.
The law also provides that allegations of bias against the Speaker or criticism of the Speaker's conduct may result in up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs1 million.
In addition, publishing or broadcasting the report of a standing committee before it is formally tabled in the assembly could lead to three months' imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs300,000.
Similarly, reporting on an adjournment motion before it is officially tabled may result in up to one month's imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs100,000.
According to the report, the legislation was originally approved through a supplementary agenda in April, while the gazette notification was issued after several months.
