The Supreme Court of Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
The controversial ordinance was passed on April 7 in the National Assembly amid furore from the opposition against the bill, who termed it regressive and extra-constitutional.
The law grants sweeping powers of arrest and detention to security forces.
"This law will turn Pakistan into a police state," Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice chairperson told a news conference. "We have decided to take this law to court and challenge its anti-human rights stance."
Qureshi, a former foreign minister, said his party had the support of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
The main opposition, the Pakistan People's Party, has led protests against the law in the National Assembly.
When the National Assembly approved the bill, opposition party members tore up copies and threw them in the air and walked out of the assembly in protest.
The law permits the security forces to shoot suspects on sight, detain them at secret locations for up to 90 days and carry out raids without search warrants. The security forces can also carry out secret trials.
Background
PPO – approved by President Mamnoon Hussain last year – is a decree that declares all peace-disrupting elements as ‘enemies of the state’, and states protection of life to be the state’s top priority.
Below are a few clauses from the ordinance:
• Every possible state instrument and resource will be deployed to defeat and frustrate all or any nefarious attempt to create disorder.
• The cancer of syndicated crime, in all its forms and manifestations, shall be responded by proportionate use of state force under the law.
• Joint investigation teams shall be constituted to conduct investigations by security agencies and police in all heinous crimes committed in areas where civil armed forces are invited to aid civil power.
• Those involved in syndicated crime shall be relocated to other parts of the country for transparency and fair trial.
Special jails shall be designated to detain hardened criminals and the minimum quantum of punishments is now re-determined at ten years.
• The state will not allow Afghan immigrants or other foreign nationals to be used for terrorist purposes.
COMMENTS (11)
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This bill could lead to fake encounters and more corruption as police may misuse their power plus they cannot be held easily accountable.
@S: Where is the so called Force when politicians loot the tax payers money. When civilians do not get their rights, then only are they compelled to pick up arms. Nawaz is trying to fix the resultant problem, but not the root cause of the problem.
No mention of the terrorists? Ah... forgot... they are PMLN's brothers.
Bottomline is that we already have plenty of laws to arrest and prosecute killers especially when they make public confessions. The problem is the implementation and the lack of a law to declare as traitors the government functionaries and ministers who support these killers, call them their innocent brothers, and look the other way on their crimes.
Lolllzzz.......PTI bestowing confidence on the same "Sharamnaak" court.
ET did not mention major point of PPO which is discrimination on freedom of rights such as no political party or Organisation can hold Jalsa & protest against the govt which is a violation of constitutional right.
those who oppose this bill are not afraid for common people but worry about their criminals, who work under the shadow of these political parties and create disorder in peaceful society. i do not think that one who values peace and have not motive of criminal activities will feel afraid of this bill. i personally appreciated this bill because it will discourage criminals and create peace in our society.
Thanks God someone has courage to save the general population from the black law of "Zia ul Haq's" decedents. Some people think that everything implemented in US/UK is good for Pakistan.
This is an important bill. I dont know why PTI is against this. Even media is opposing this. Only friends of Pakistan will appreciate this bill. May Allah protect Pakistan!!
PTI is dead
This bill is important. And there are simialr ordinances in UK/USA as well. In a minutes they use force against those who try to create disorder.