NA passes Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) bill, 2020

The National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2020 by a majority.

The bill was moved by Minister for Law Farogh Naseem, taking the floor, the Law Minister said it is a historic day that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) related legislation is being carried out today with consensus in the larger interest of the country.

Naseem said whitening the economy and checking terror financing is important to take the country forward on the path of development. The minister said it is also our aim to simplify the legislation and ensure the protection of the fundamental rights of the people.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that terror financing and money laundering are the menaces that Pakistan has to confront and eradicate.

Speaking in the National Assembly, he said long deliberations were held with the opposition parties to reach consensus on the FATF related legislation. He said the positive suggestions of the opposition were honestly incorporated.

On Tuesday, the government and the opposition reached a consensus on two key Financial Action Task Force -related bills and referred them to the select committee of the House for consideration.

The Lower House has also passed the Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020, The Control of Narcotic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2020, and Islamabad Capital Territory Trust Bill, 2020.