NA amends anti-terrorism law extending pre-trial detention period

The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2024 by a majority vote enacting it into law after rejecting opposition proposals amid protests in the House.

The House suspended its routine agenda to take up the bill. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq ordered a headcount on the bill’s passage, which showed 125 votes in favour and 45 against. Opposition members protested and shouted slogans during the process.

PTI chairperson Barrister Gohar Ali Khan argued that the bill violated Article 10 of the Constitution and fundamental rights by allowing detention without trial for up to three months, extendable by another three.

He said no law could be enacted in contravention of the Constitution or the Supreme Court’s rulings, and noted past instances of prolonged detention without due process.

Read: HRCP urges govt to scrap anti-terror bill

Maulana Fazlur Rehman questioned the need for such a law, recalling similar measures in the Musharraf era that he said treated citizens as “born criminals”.

The opposition maintained that the law could be misused, while the government insisted it was necessary to address the prevailing security situation.

Oil reserves

Separately, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmakers sought clarification from the government over US President Donald Trump’s past remarks about vast oil reserves in Pakistan.

On July 31, Trump took to social media to announce a new deal between the US and Pakistan for the joint development of Pakistan's "massive oil reserves". 

PPP's Dr Nafisa Shah questioned why the government had not provided information if such reserves existed. “The US President is telling us about oil reserves in Pakistan, but why is the Government of Pakistan not informing us?”

Read More: Trump wins his deal, Pakistan eyes the future 

Responding to the call to attention notice, Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik said Pakistan had recently awarded oil exploration rights to companies from Kuwait, Turkey, and other countries.

He confirmed the presence of reserves but said their exact size could only be determined after exploration work began.

He added that three major gas fields—larger than the Sui field—had been discovered, and exploration had commenced in Hyderabad.

Malik noted that countries such as China and the US possessed technology to verify the presence of oil and gas rapidly.

Dr Shah also questioned whether Trump’s remarks, including that Pakistan could one day export oil to India, were intended to pressure India into concessions, given that Pakistani ministers claimed they did not yet know the reserves’ size.

PPP lawmaker Syed Naveed Qamar asked if exploration opportunities would be open to countries beyond the US.

Malik replied that rights would be available to multiple companies.