President Arif Alvi has returned 13 bills unsigned for reconsideration of Parliament, which was dissolved last week, leaving them in limbo until the next government comes into power following general elections.
The returned bills had been passed by both houses of Parliament in waning days of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government, with significant criticism from both treasury and opposition benches over their undue haste and dearth of parliamentary debate.
Among the returned bills are the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, which sought to enhance punishment for disrespect to Islam’s Prophet (PBUH), his companions and other religious figures. Also included are several bills related to formation of new universities, including the Pakistan Institute of Management Sciences Bill, Horizon University bill, Federal Urdu University (Amendment) Bill, NFC Institute, Multan (Amendment) Bill and the National Institute for Technology Bill.
The other returned bills are the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration (Amendment) Bill; Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill; National Commission for Human Development (Amendment) Bill; Imports and Exports (Control) (Amendment) Bill; The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Bill; and the Public Sector Commission (Amendment) Bill.
However, the president has signed off on the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Amendment Bill, 2023, according to a statement issued by the Presidency. Earlier in the day, Alvi met a delegation of representatives of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), and Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) and assured them of his support for the legislation.
Appreciating the collective efforts of the media community for introducing amendments to the PEMRA law, especially pertaining to the rights of media workers, he said linking government advertisements with the payment of dues to electronic media employees would help address several issues.