Anti-terrorism bill gets Senate approval after heated debate

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ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Tuesday approved the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2025, who, during a strong opposition protest, rejected the amendments submitted by Kamran Murtaza, a legislator of the F-F.

The Minister of State for Interior and Drug Control, Talal Chaudhry, further transferred the bill to amend the Anti -Terrorism Act 1997. [The Anti-terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2025] In the House, which has already been approved by the National Assembly.

Murtaza transferred some amendments to the bill, but the House rejected him by majority votes. The House passed the bill by reading the clause by reading clause.

The bill, the statement of the bill, states that the current security situation requires a strong response that is beyond the current legal framework.

The amendment aims to empower the government, the armed forces, and the civilian armed forces, which is essential to the authority necessary to detain a particular threat to national security.

These clauses can prevent the prevention of suspects on the basis of credible information or reasonable doubts, thus disrupting terrorist plots before they are executed.

This will also give law enforcement agencies legal support for more effective acts against terrorism.

This will facilitate the use of Joint Investigation Teams (JTI), which consists of members of various law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies, to conduct a comprehensive inquiry and submit a viable intelligence.

Meanwhile, the upper house of parliament also passed two more bills – including the Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill, 2025, and Petroleum (Amendment) Bill, 2025 unanimously.

The Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill was transferred by the Home Minister of the state, while Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik presented the Petroleum (Amendment) Bill in the House, 2025.

“We do not want the terrorists walking freely”.

Earlier, responding to various points raised by the lawmakers in the Senate, the Minister of Law and Justice Azam Nazir Sahar had said that currently, the country is facing the threat of terrorism, and the proposed amendment of PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar has already been added to make it more effective.

He said the bill had already passed the judicial examination tests.

He said it also included a three -year sunset clause.

He added that this amendment is in accordance with the original spirit of the 1973 constitution.

The minister said that under Article 2 of the amendment, the detention was presented to the judge within 24 hours.

On this occasion, PML -N Senator Irfan Siddiqui emphasized that there should be no relaxation towards terrorism.

He observed, “We do not want the terrorists to be roaming freely, while innocent people are slaughtered in different provinces, in passenger trains like Jafar Express, or in targeted attacks. These movements weaken our federation and create distrust between the people and the state.”

Senator Siddiqui called on legislators to look at the anti -terrorism legislation in its proper spirit, because “we lose about 100,000 lives from the curse of terrorism”.

“We must surrender to the militants or legislate to resist the militants,” he said.

The lawmaker also expressed his concern over misconduct with political victims and political leaders. Recalling his experience of arrest and imprisonment, Siddiqui said that he had deep sympathy with fellow politicians who were handcuffed or subjected to severe treatment.

He said, “When I saw Fawad Chaudhry on his face, I stood in the house and said that this should not happen. Today, when I see Shah Mahmood Qureshi in handcuffs, I feel the same grief.”

He said that he could not support such behavior with anyone, even for those who hurt him once.

PTI’s barrister Syed Ali Zafar said his party was also against the threat of terrorism and he wants to stop it. However, he said that some clauses of the bill were against the law and the constitution, so the bill should be handed over to the committee.

PTI’s Noorul Haq Qadri advised that the bill should be sent to the Standing Committee and the Council of Islamic theory to take the bill.

Joy-F’s Kamran Murtaza said that the bill should be sent to the Standing Committee for two to three days so that it can be fully discussed.