LAHORE: Governor Balighur Rehman on Saturday approved two bills and returned the one with objections to the Punjab Assembly.

The governor approved the Punjab Ehsaas Programme Bill 2022 and the Punjab Industries (Control on Establishment and Enlargement) (Amendment) Bill 2022 in the public interest.

“However, the governor returned the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence (Amendment) Bill 2022 to the Punjab Assembly with a message that the bill might be reconsidered in the light of his observations,” a spokesperson said.

The governor has proposed to widen the definition of domestic violence in the bill, while the current bill has a restricted definition. He said that by widening the scope of domestic violence definition, women could be given better access to justice against violence.

He said the bills were being sent directly from the Punjab Assembly to the Governor Secretariat without adopting a proper channel according to a fixed procedure, yet these bills were being entertained and worked on in the public interest in the Governor Secretariat.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2022