ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior on Wednesday passed the "Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2020" and forwarded it to the parliament to fulfill certain requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Chairman Standing Committee Raja Khurram Shehzad Nawaz said that the committee had passed the bill after detailed discussion to fulfill the FATF in order to bring Pakistan out of the FATF's "grey list". The members of the committee rejected recommendation of the Ministry of Interior that allow a sub-inspector-level officer to conduct investigation. MNA Abdul Qadir Patel said that how can you hand over investigation to a sub-inspector in such important law.

Nawaz said that only a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) or inspector rank officer will conduct investigation. Officials of Ministry of Interior said that the court challan be submitted by the public prosecutor. They said that with the permission of the court, the deputy inspector general (DIG)-level officer will be able to get the financial record.

PPP MNA Syed Agha Rafilluah, while opposing the bill, said that let me know about a law in any country, which allows human rights violations.

In this bill, state law is openly violated, he said, adding that it is not right to punish the family members of a persons found involved in terrorism.

He said that the government is taking various unconstitutional steps under the guise of the FATF. He termed the bill as a "black law". He said that this law will be used against you and me in the future. I think you are under pressure, he told the chairman. There is no pressure on me, the chairman told Rafilluah.

Marriyum Aurangzeb, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said that some of the amendments proposed by the opposition members have been accepted by the government and some of the amendments have not been accepted, over which we have submitted dissenting notes.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020