90-day detention allowed: President signs Anti-Terrorism Bill into law

ISLAMABAD: The President has signed into law the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2025 – a contentious law that allows the detention of suspects at the hands of law enforcement agencies for more than three months.

“President Asif Ali Zardari has assented to the Anti-Terrorism (Amend-ment) Bill, 2025. The law strengthens security agencies’ ability to counter terrorism, ensures transparency in detentions with a three-year sunset clause, and introduces judicial oversight and safeguards,” said an official statement from the Presidency issued Sunday.

The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was passed by the National Assembly and then by Senate last month amidst strong protests by the opposition that rejected this bill as being tantamount to suppressing political dissent under the garb of countering terrorism.

The Section 3(a)(1) of this law provides that the government or— the armed forces or civil armed forces - for a period not exceeding three months - issue an order for the preventative detention of any person who has been concerned in “any offence under this Act relating to the security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, or public order relating to target killing, kidnapping for ransom, and extortion, bhatta, or the maintenance of supplies or services, or against whom a reasonable complaint has been made or credible information has been received, or a reasonable suspicion exists of his having been so concerned, for purpose of inquiry: Provided that the detention of such person, including detention for a further period after three months, shall be subject to the provision of Article l0 of the Constitution.”

The Section 3(b) of the same law says, “Provided that where the detention order has been issued by the armed forces or civil armed forces under Sub-section (1), the inquiry shall be conducted by a joint investigation team (JIT) comprising of a police officer not below the rank of superintendent of police, intelligence agencies, civil armed forces, armed forces, and other law enforcing agencies.”

The subsequent Section 3(c) provides that the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2025 shall remain in force for a period of three years from its commencement.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025