The National Assembly has passed the Anti-Terrorism Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, with a majority vote, reintroducing a controversial provision that permits law enforcement agencies to detain individuals suspected of terrorism for up to 90 days. This move comes amid growing concerns over national security and the need for more robust counterterrorism measures.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly passed the Anti-Terrorism Act (Amendment) Bill, reinstating a key provision that allows law enforcement agencies to detain suspected terrorists for up to 90 days. The provision, previously part of the law, was set to expire due to a sunset clause, limiting its validity.
Source: Arab News
Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, moved the amendment, highlighting the need for stronger measures in the face of escalating security threats. The amendment aims to empower the government, armed forces, and civil armed forces to prevent potential terrorist acts by allowing the detention of individuals based on credible information or reasonable suspicion.
This legislation is seen as an effort to strengthen counterterrorism operations and disrupt terrorist plots before they can be executed. The amendment also facilitates the use of Joint Interrogation Teams (JITs), which combine expertise from various law enforcement and intelligence agencies to gather intelligence and conduct thorough investigations.
While the amendment received support from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the bill was met with strong opposition, particularly from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). JUI-F lawmaker Aliya Kamran proposed sending the bill to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), but the amendment was rejected, leading to a walkout by JUI-F members. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the JUI-F chief, criticized the law, calling it discriminatory and questioning the government’s failure to eliminate terrorism in the past 25 years.
Opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), also raised concerns, with PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan labeling the amendment a violation of Pakistan’s Constitution. Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar, defended the bill, emphasizing that preventive detention for up to 90 days is constitutionally permissible and that judicial review mechanisms are in place to prevent misuse.
In addition to the ATA amendment, the National Assembly also passed two other significant bills: the National School of Public Policy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Petroleum (Amendment) Bill, 2025, both of which were moved by relevant ministers.
