NEW DELHI: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari has signed into law the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2025, reviving sweeping state powers of preventive detention and triggering sharp debate over its impact on civil liberties and democratic space.
The legislation, passed earlier this month by both the National Assembly and Senate, restores expired provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 1997.
It authorises federal authorities-and even the armed forces acting under government orders-to detain individuals for up to three months without charges if suspected of threatening "national security" or "public safety".
The Pakistan government has defended the amendment as a necessary tool to counter rising militancy, extortion rackets and kidnappings for ransom.
But rights groups and opposition leaders argue that its deliberately broad language risks legitimising arbitrary detentions and silencing dissent.
Analysts note that Pakistan's counterterrorism laws have often been used beyond militant threats-ensnaring political activists, student groups, journalists and minority voices.
The broad definition of terrorism under the ATA, covering acts that "spread fear" or damage property, has blurred the line between genuine threats and political opposition. One of the most contentious aspects of the 2025 amendment is its reliance on "preventive detention" based on "reasonable suspicion". (IANS)
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