ISLAMABAD – UNS : Senate on Tuesday passed the Anti-terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2025, with a majority of votes after rejecting amendments proposed by Kamran Murtaza, a lawmaker from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).The opposition strongly opposed the bill and chanting slogans on Tuesday.
Minister of State for Interior and Narcotics Control Talal Chaudhry moved the bill further 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 moved certain amendments in the bill, but the House rejected them with a majority of votes. The house passed the bill through clause-by-clause reading.
The statement of objects and reasons of the bill says that the current security situation requires a robust response that goes beyond the existing legal framework.
The amendments aim to empower the government, armed forces, and civil armed forces with the necessary authority to detain individuals who pose a significant threat to national security.
This provision would allow for the preventive detention of suspects based on credible information or reasonable suspicion, thereby disrupting terrorist plots before they can be executed.
This will also provide Law Enforcement Agencies with the legal backing to conduct more effective operations against terrorism.
It would facilitate the use of Joint Interrogation Teams (JTIs), composed of members from various law enforcement and intelligence agencies, to conduct comprehensive inquiries and gather actionable intelligence.
Meanwhile, the Upper House of the Parliament also passed two more bills — including the Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill, 2025, and the Petroleum (Amendment) Bill, 2025 unanimously.
The Pakistan Land Port Authority Bill was moved by the state’s interior minister, while Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik presented the Petroleum (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the House.
