ISLAMABAD- President Gen Pervez Musharraf promulgated two ordinances, one called the defamation ordinance 2002 on October 1, 2002.

According to press reports under the defamation ordinance 2002, defamation has been defined as any wrongful act or publication or circulation of a false statement or representation made orally or in written or visual form which injures the reputation of a person, tends to lower him in the estimation of others or tends to reduce him to ridicule, unjust criticism, dislike, contempt or hatred shall be actionable as defamation.

The defamation has been put into two forms, namely, slander and libel. Under the ordinance any false oral statement or representation that amounts to defamation shall be actionable as slander. Under the same ordinance, any false written, documentary or visual statement or representation made either by ordinary form or expression or by electronic or other modern means or devices that amounts to defamation shall be actionable as libel.

Under the ordinance no court inferior to that of the district judge shall have jurisdiction to try cases under this ordinance. Under the ordinance the court shall decide a case within a period of six months.

The ordinance further provides that appeal against the final order of the district judge shall lie to the High Court within 30 days of the passing of such order provided that no appeal shall lie against an interlocutory order of the court.
Source: Dawn
Date:10/2/2002