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