A video of the lawmaker has been doing the rounds of social media, wherein he can be seen putting the bill’s copy on the grave of his father, while praying for the deceased.
The News reported that on Monday, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar refused to approve the Tahaffuz-e- Bunyad-e-Islam Bill 2020, saying that it will become an act after building consensus among all the stakeholders. The governor said the bill is very sensitive and it would be signed after consensus is developed over it.
Last week, the Punjab Assembly approved the controversial bill that gives the provincial government sweeping powers to censor information by barring any publisher, editor, or translator, from printing or publishing any text that is deemed ‘un-Islamic’ or ‘objectionable’ by the government.
According to the bill, the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) is empowered to visit and inspect the premises of the printing presses, offices of the publication houses and book stores. The DGPR also has the authority to refuse permission to import, print, or publish a book “if it is prejudicial to the national interest, culture, religious and sectarian harmony”.