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ISLAMABAD, Jul 21 (APP): The Senate on Monday passed eight private member bills including the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals (Amendment) Bill, 2022 unanimously as reported by the concern standing committees.
Other bills are included the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Abandoned Properties (Management) (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the National Institute of Health (Re-organization) (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Islamabad Capital Territory Charities Registration, Regulation and Facilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2023,the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
The bills were moved by Khalil Tahir, Saleem Mandviwalla, Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan and Shahadat Awan respectively in the House.
The house passed all the bills through clause by clause reading.
The Statement of objects and reasons of Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals bill says that media is indeed an integral part of freedom of expression, Role of the media is important for shaping public minds and democracy. Under the constitution, it is responsibility of the state to protect the journalists under law from physical violence and arbitrary arrests because media acts as a major mirror for the society that reflects the reality and faces the wrong reaction sometimes by the public and governments while the freedom of press is the distinguished quality of a democratic country.
Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani also deferred three private member bills including the Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Fatal Accidents (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2022 on requests of the law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and movers of the bills.