ISLAMABAD (PEN) : Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider has stated that the approval of the contentious defamation law was inevitable due to the automatic passage of bills into law 15 days after being sent to the governor, even if they are not signed.
He clarified, “I did not sign the Defamation Bill. However, it was supposed to be passed automatically after 15 days.”
Mr. Haider, affiliated with the PPP, had previously declared his intention not to sign the Punjab Defamation Bill 2024. However, his absence allowed the acting governor, Punjab Assembly Speaker and PML-N leader Malik Ahmad Khan, to complete the process.
According to the governor, his party was opposed to the bill, and during his presence in the country, he made efforts to prevent the bill from becoming law.
