The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the Anti-terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2024, granting the armed forces and civil armed forces powers to hold suspects in preventive custody for three months in terrorism and national security cases.

During this period, investigations against the detainee will be conducted by a Joint Interrogation Team (JIT).

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, 2024] in the House.

The bill, adopted with 125 votes in favour and 59 against during a session chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, faced strong opposition protests and slogans.

A JUI-F motion to refer the bill to the Council of Islamic Ideology was rejected.

Under the amendment to Section 11EEEE(1) of the Anti-terrorism Act, suspects involved in offences such as threats to national security, defence, public order, kidnapping for ransom, or targeted killings can be detained for three months, extendable under Article 10 of the Constitution.

Investigations will be conducted by a JIT comprising an SP-rank police officer, intelligence agency officials, and representatives of the armed forces and other law enforcement agencies.

The House also approved an amendment by PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar to Section 11EEEE(2), replacing terms like “reasonable suspicion” and “credible information” with “solid evidence” to ensure no person is detained without concrete proof.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the changes are aimed at preventing terrorism and strengthening security, enabling law enforcement agencies to take timely action against dangerous elements and avert potential attacks.