ISLAMABAD: A total of 31 bills were ratified by President Arif Alvi on Wednesday, which were passed during the joint sitting of Parliament on November 17, including the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill.
The bills
1. The Privatization Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021
2. The Port Qasim Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2021
3. The Islamabad Capital Territory Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill, 2021
4. The International Court of Justice (Review and Re-Consideration) Bill, 2021
5. The SBP Banking Services Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021
6. The Corporate Restructuring Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2021
7. COVID-19 (Prevention of Hoarding) Bill, 2021
8. The Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Bill, 2021
9. The Islamabad Capital Territory Charities Registration, Regulation and Facilitation Bill, 2021
10. The Islamabad Rent Restriction (Amendment) Bill, 2021
11. The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2021
12. The Federal Public Service Commission (Validation of Rules), Bill, 2021
13. The Loans for Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Purposes Amendment Bill, 2021
14. The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021
15. The Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety Bill, 2021, The Emigration (Amendment) Bill, 2021
16. The Pakistan Academy of Letters (Amendment) Bill, 2021
17. The Gwadar Port Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2021
18. The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2021
19. The Maritime Security Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2021
20. The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021
21. The Financial Institutions (Secured Transactions) (Amendment) Bill, 2021
22. The University of Islamabad Bill, 2021
23. The Al-Karam International Institute Bill, 2021
24. The National College of Arts Institute Bill, 2021
25. The Hyderabad Institute for Technology and Management Sciences Bill, 2021
26. Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill, 2021
28. The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2021
29. The Unani, Ayurvedic and Homeopathic Practitioners (Amendment) Bill, 2021
30. The Muslim Family Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021
31. The Muslim Family Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021
President Alvi 'happy' to sign 'historic bill' for journalists
Speaking at the occasion where he gave his assent to the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill to safeguard the rights of working journalists, President Arif Alvi said he was "very happy" to sign the "historic bill".
The president signed the legislation at a ceremony attended by cabinet ministers and a large number of journalists and media professionals.
The bill focuses on protecting the lives of journalists, saving them from harassment and torture, and ensuring their welfare by giving facilities of life and health insurance.
The president said for the last 60-70 years, journalists had raised issues, after which, mafias of all kinds killed, harassed, and tortured them.
The president underlined the need for a culture of tolerance for journalists because they were only doing reporting and disseminating information.
President Alvi said he was informed that a consensus was built among the stakeholders on the bill. “Everybody is unanimous in protecting the rights of journalists,” he said.