LAHORE, PAKISTAN (AFP) - Publishers in Pakistan's most populous province could soon face prison if they fail to win approval from government bureaucrats before printing or importing books, pamphlets and many other written works.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
LAHORE, PAKISTAN - Publishers in Pakistan's most populous province could soon face prison if they fail to win approval from government bureaucrats before printing or importing books, pamphlets and many other written works.
The bill has such"loose and vague terms that they can be easily used against progressive publishers like us", Bilal Zahoor, editorial director of a Lahore-based independent publishing house, told AFP.Punjab's governor has yet to sign the bill into law and has indicated he may seek some amendments before doing so.
Supporters say the bill will boost national security because it will bar writing seen as glorifying"terrorists" and"extremist elements". "This is another in a long history of regressive and anti-democratic measures taken by representatives of the state that utilises religion as an excuse to quash free speech and critical thinking," she told AFP.In January, authorities banned British-American author Lesley Hazleton's non-fiction books about the beginnings of Islam that for years went untouched by censors.
'UNFETTERED POWER' More than 200 academics, journalists, historians and other community figures have written an open letter to the Punjab Assembly expressing grave concern about the"immense arbitrary, unfettered and unilateral power" given to authorities to decide a book's fate.
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