NA panel recommends passage of anti-terrorism bill with tweaks

ISLAMABAD: The Standing Committee of National Assembly on Interior has recommended the passage of Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (Section 11EEEE), with amendments.

The committee meeting, chaired by Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, reviewed several legislative matters referred by the National Assembly, including both government and private members’ bills. The proposed amendments to the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2024 aim to reintroduce Section 11EEEE of the Act to empower the government, armed forces, and civil armed forces with the authority to detain individuals who pose a significant threat to national security. This provision would enable the preventive detention of suspects based on credible information or reasonable suspicion, thereby helping to disrupt terrorist plots before execution. It would also legally strengthen law enforcement operations against terrorism and facilitate the use of Joint Interrogation Teams (JITs) composed of personnel from various law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct thorough inquiries and gather actionable intelligence.