Islamabad, Aug 14: Pakistan has amended its anti-terrorism law to augment the powers of security agencies and the armed forces to detain “suspicious” individuals for up to three months.
The National Assembly on Wednesday passed an amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997, to change Section 11 EEEE (preventive detention for inquiry).
This power was initially provided by an amendment in 2014 to conduct preventive detention of individuals suspected of involvement in terrorism-related activities, but the amendment was subject to a sunset clause and expired after two years in 2016.
In November 2024, the government quietly introduced the bill in the National Assembly when Minister of State for Interior and Narcotics Control Tallal Chaudhry moved it, seeking to grant military and civil armed forces the authority to keep individuals facing terrorism charges in ‘preventive’ detention for up to three months.
State-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported that the assembly passed the bill through a clause-by-clause reading.
The main opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party opposed the amendment, terming it against basic rights. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan branded it a violation of “fundamental human rights”.
“The Supreme Court said these laws were contrary to fundamental rights,” Gohar said. “You cannot touch a single person in the world without a solid reason.”
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar assured the House that this law would only be used in specific circumstances.
“A clause is being added to the bill stating that there are solid reasons for arrest,” Tarar stated. “The arrested person will have to be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours, (and) a clause has also been included to be enforceable for a specific period.”
But the PTI and other opposition groups fear that it could be used to silence dissent and opposition in the country.
