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Punjab Assembly passes controversial anti-terrorism amendment after opposition walkout
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Elections & Politics

Punjab Assembly passes controversial anti-terrorism amendment after opposition walkout

From Dawn · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Approved/passed
  • Pakistan’s Punjab Assembly passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2026 after opposition lawmakers objected and walked out.
  • The bill would create a “special security case” mechanism for proceedings requiring extraordinary protection, including provisions allowing identities and voices to be concealed or altered.
  • Opposition lawmakers called the measure draconian and unconstitutional, while the speaker defended it as a response to terrorism and urged constructive amendments.

Punjab’s assembly approved a contested anti-terrorism bill after opposition lawmakers left the chamber, accusing the government of creating a mechanism that could be used against political opponents.

The debate in Lahore centred on whether the Punjab Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2026 could legally be placed on the agenda and whether its proposed protections would comply with constitutional fair-trial guarantees. Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan ruled that it could, citing Article 142 of the Constitution and its provisions on criminal-law jurisdiction.

Faceless courts

— Malik Muhammad Ahmad KhanThe Punjab Assembly speaker referred to anonymous courts as a model used by democracies facing extreme terror threats.

Khan defended the measure by recalling terrorism in Pakistan during the 1990s. He said more than 100,000 people had been killed, including Col. (retd.) Shuja Khanzada and Captain Mubeen, and referred to attacks on places of worship such as Data Darbar. He argued that witnesses had previously lacked protection and that suspects could consequently go free. He also pointed to anonymous, or “faceless,” courts in the United States as an example of how democracies respond to extreme terror threats.

Draconian

— Moin Riaz QureshiThe opposition leader used the term to condemn the proposed anti-terrorism legislation.

Opposition Leader Moin Riaz Qureshi condemned the bill as “draconian” and called it a “bill to crush the citizens of Punjab”. He alleged that the ruling government intended to target PTI leaders and activists, comparing the proposal with earlier defamation and National Accountability Bureau laws. He also questioned a provision allowing a Grade-20 designated official to advise the chief justice of the Lahore High Court on whether a case should receive “special security case” status.

Opposition lawmaker Ahmar Rashid Bhatti warned that concealing or altering the identities and voices of judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers and witnesses would breach Article 10-A, which protects a fair and transparent trial. After opposition members chanted slogans and walked out, their amendments were rejected and the bill passed. The proposed law would add Section 21AAA to the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.

A bill to crush the citizens of Punjab

— Moin Riaz QureshiQureshi accused the ruling government of using the amendment against citizens and political rivals.
About this summary

Originally published by Dawn in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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