ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday gave his assent to a controversial bill that empowers security agencies to detain suspects of “terrorism” and other serious crimes for up to three months, his office confirmed, saying the move would help security agencies maintain law and order.
Pakistan’s upper house of parliament or Senate approved amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) bill earlier this month. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had defended the bill by saying it created a lawful framework for preventive detention that would strengthen counterterrorism operations.
Enforced disappearances have long been a contentious issue in Pakistan, particularly in its southwestern Balochistan province, which has been the site of a decades-old separatist insurgency. Families and rights groups there have often accused state institutions of arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killings. Authorities deny the allegations, but the practice has remained a source of domestic and international criticism.
“President Asif Ali Zardari has assented to the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2025,” the president’s official account on X wrote.
“The law strengthens security agencies’ ability to counter terrorism, ensures transparency in detentions with a 3-year sunset clause, and introduces judicial oversight & safeguards.”
According to Pakistan’s parliamentary procedures and law, a bill passed by both houses of parliament requires the president’s assent to officially become law. The bill was passed earlier this month by Pakistan’s National Assembly before it was presented in the Senate.
The government has said the new law will replace illegal practices and address concerns raised by families of “missing persons.”
WHAT THE LAW SAYS
The amendment allows the government, armed forces and civil armed forces to place terrorism suspects under preventive detention for up to 90 days, based on credible information or reasonable suspicion. Enforcement in provinces will require approval from respective governments, and detainees will have legal recourse through federal and provincial review boards made up of Supreme Court and high court judges.
The bill also gives legal cover to joint interrogation teams (JITs) comprising officials from multiple law enforcement and intelligence agencies, with the aim of making operations more effective.
Opposition parties, including jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), strongly opposed the amendment in the Senate when it was presented for voting, warning that it could be misused against government critics.
The development takes place as Pakistan battles twin insurgencies in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces. The country has seen a spike in militant attacks ever since a fragile truce between the state and the Pakistani Taliban broke down in November 2022.
Meanwhile, ethnic Baloch separatist groups in Balochistan demand independence from Islamabad, accusing the center of robbing the local population of the province’s natural resources.
Pakistan’s civilian government and military strongly deny the allegations and say that several health, education and infrastructure projects are in place in Balochistan to help its population.
