Islamabad, Oct 10 (IANS) A leading international human rights organisation expressed grave concern over Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2026, warning that it poses a grave threat to the right to a fair trial by paving the way for secret trials in the country.
Amnesty International said that the amendment passed by the Punjab provincial Assembly on August 31, to amend the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997, creates a mechanism for trials shrouded in complete secrecy, exceeding permissible exceptions to the right to a fair trial, including the right to a public hearing, under international human rights law.
This amendment, it warned, deepens concerns regarding past misuse of anti-terrorism laws that has resulted in grave human rights violations.
“The 2026 amendment in Punjab has been passed despite criticism from the opposition parties and civil society. Four days before the amendment was passed, the speaker of the assembly deferred proceedings regarding the legislation after receiving a note from the member of the opposition raising constitutional and procedural concerns with the amendment bill. However, the same version of the bill was passed on 31 August without addressing these concerns and despite objections being raised on the assembly floor and opposition members walking out in protest,” Amnesty International stated.
Stressing that human rights cannot be jettisoned by counterterrorism measures and rights must be upheld in all circumstances, it said, “The amendment was assented to by the governor despite calls from civil society appealing to the governor to send the bill back to the assembly for review due to fair trial concerns.”
“It has been challenged at the Lahore High Court through several petitions, including one filed by the leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Moeenuddin Riaz Qureshi,” it added.
Amnesty International said that this legislation strengthens an already draconian law that has been used to proscribe human rights defenders and grassroots movements and organisations under the Fourth Schedule of the ATA, arbitrarily detain dissidents through vague charges, and convict activists to heavy sentences for offences that should not exist.
“The secret trials established by this amendment will sit on top of a parallel legal system that is already prone to miscarriages of justice; the added layer of secrecy will exacerbate these issues by limiting independent oversight and transparency of trials under the ATA,” it noted.
The rights body warned that the amendment allows a level of secrecy with enormous potential for miscarriage of justice. It highlighted that the amendment is applicable to Punjab province, which is Pakistan’s most populous province, consisting of 50.9 per cent of the total population.
If this act is allowed to be implemented, the rights body said, it could lead to a “knock-on effect” in other provinces that could pass similar legislation.
–IANS
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