News Desk
LAHORE: The Punjab government on June 12 introduced the Punjab Public Awareness and Dissemination of Information Bill 2025 in the provincial assembly, aiming to establish a legal framework for government-sponsored public awareness campaigns about development projects and initiatives.
The bill, presented by Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, was referred to the relevant standing committee by Chairperson Samiullah Khan, with a directive to present its report within a month. The proposed legislation provides guidelines for the dissemination of information through various media platforms and authorizes the government to engage public figures for awareness purposes.
Under the bill, all awareness campaigns initiated by the government or public bodies since January 1, 2024, will be deemed valid. The legislation allows the government to name or rename public projects and conduct promotional campaigns via print, electronic, digital, outdoor, and other media, including cinema. It also permits the use of celebrities, scholars, and sports personalities to promote official initiatives.
The bill outlines that campaign content must include details about the project’s origin, importance, estimated budget, and completion timeline. The Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) will be the executing authority for all such campaigns, while only pre-qualified advertising agencies will be eligible to undertake assignments.
Complaints regarding the implementation of the Act can be submitted to the DGPR, with an option to appeal to the Secretary of the Punjab Information Department within 30 days. The legislation bars the jurisdiction of all courts, including civil courts, over any matter falling under the Act and grants legal protection to government officials acting in good faith.
Responding to media queries, Information Minister Azma Bokhari clarified that the bill does not infringe upon press freedom. She said the aim is to institutionalize and streamline the dissemination of information about government work. Addressing concerns about the use of political figures’ images on campaign materials, she defended the practice, stating, “If Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has taken an initiative and spent billions of rupees, why should there not be a picture of the chief minister?”
However, the bill has drawn criticism from journalist bodies and opposition parties, who have expressed concern over its potential implications for transparency and freedom of expression.
The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) rejected the bill, warning that it could enable the use of public funds for political promotion while limiting judicial oversight. CPNE President Kazam Khan described the legislation as a means to legitimize political advertisement campaigns, including for unelected individuals, at the taxpayers’ expense. He also raised objections to the bill’s retrospective application from January 1, 2024, which partly covers the term of the caretaker government.
Khan questioned the impartiality of assigning complaint adjudication to the DGPR and appeals to the information secretary, both part of the same administrative framework. He argued that this structure poses a conflict of interest and restricts citizens’ rights to accountability.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Punjab chapter also condemned the bill, terming it an attempt by the provincial government to centralize control over advertisement spending. In a statement, the party claimed the proposed law places significant sums of public funds outside the purview of judicial scrutiny, including that of the Supreme Court.
PTI alleged that the legislation coincides with rising concerns over alleged mismanagement of public funds and said it could be used to influence public perception and reward political allies through government-backed media campaigns.
The bill remains under review by the standing committee, and further debate is expected in the coming weeks.
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