Latest news with #Article10
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Pakistan passes anti-terror bill: Law gives detention powers to military, civil forces; opposition cites rights violations
Pakistan army soldiers (AP file photo) Pakistan reintroduces Anti-Terrorism Act with preventive detention powers for military, civil forces Pakistan army soldiers (AP file photo) Pakistan reintroduces Anti-Terrorism Act with preventive detention powers for military, civil forces Pakistan army soldiers (AP file photo) 1 2 Pakistan's national assembly passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2024, bringing back a provision that allows security forces to detain people suspected of terrorism for up to three months. The provision, first introduced in 2014 after the Peshawar Army Public School attack, had expired in 2016. It lets the government, military, and civil armed forces detain suspects based either on credible intelligence or reasonable suspicion to prevent terrorist acts. The law also allows the formation of joint investigation teams, made up of police, intelligence, and other security officials, to investigate and gather intelligence. Under the amendment, detentions beyond three months can be made if allowed under constitutional safeguards. Any detention by the armed forces must be investigated by a joint investigation team, which must include a senior police officer. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the measure would be used selectively and with checks in place, including producing detainees before a magistrate within 24 hours. When the bill was tabled, PTI objected strongly with the interim chairman Gohar Ali Khan saying no law that went against the constitution could be passed. He argued that the bill violated Article 10 and supreme court rulings that barred laws curbing fundamental rights. He reminded the house that the court had struck down similar clauses before, and criticised the move to let authorities extend the detention of suspects from three months to six months, warning that such measures eroded public trust. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the law would treat every citizen like a born criminal, giving institutions unchecked powers to arrest anyone and shifting the burden of proof onto the accused. He cautioned against setting a precedent of flawed law-making.
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
PTI leaders condemn amendments in anti-terrorism law
ISLAMABAD: In a fiery backlash, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday condemned the amendment to Section 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, terming it an outright assault on constitutional freedoms and a flagrant violation of Article 10 – the cornerstone of fundamental rights. Speaking at a press conference following a turbulent parliamentary committee meeting, PTI leaders described the controversial amendment as nothing short of a state-sanctioned instrument for unchecked tyranny. The legislation now permits detention without trial for three months, extendable by a further quarter-year. PTI MNA Latif Khosa criticised the amendment, saying it stripes away the previous safeguard requiring high court approval for custody extensions, instead bestowing unchecked powers upon local police chiefs. 'This is a cynical political weapon, designed to suppress opposition dissent.' He reiterated that detainees must be presented before magistrates within 24 hours – a constitutional guarantee now flagrantly ignored under the new law's sweeping 'suspicious' catch-all criteria, effectively legalising indefinite detention without accountability. 'The government's actions are unforgivable. This regime is brazenly weaponising the law to silence political opposition through brute force.' Another PTI MNA, and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Junaid Akbar, joined the condemnation, exposing the legislation as a thinly veiled attempt to muzzle political campaigning. He revealed chilling 'state tactics' of sedition charges and terror-tagging of political activities, signalling an unprecedented crackdown in recent memory. Akbar contrasted the incumbent government's arrogance with his party's initial struggles in governance, asserting that those responsible for these draconian laws will ultimately be held to account. He also criticised the establishment's opaque record, questioning the outcomes of over 21 operations. He asked who exerted influence over the Taliban's movements, particularly in relation to Punjab. However, he dismissed allegations linking PTI with the Taliban, affirming the party's unequivocal stance against terrorism. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
NA passes Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2024
The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2024 by a majority vote enacting it into law after rejecting opposition proposals amid protests in the House. The House suspended its routine agenda to take up the bill. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq ordered a headcount on the bill's passage, which showed 125 votes in favour and 45 against. Opposition members protested and shouted slogans during the process. PTI chairperson Barrister Gohar Ali Khan argued that the bill violated Article 10 of the Constitution and fundamental rights by allowing detention without trial for up to three months, extendable by another three. He said no law could be enacted in contravention of the Constitution or the Supreme Court's rulings, and noted past instances of prolonged detention without due process. Read: HRCP urges govt to scrap anti-terror bill Maulana Fazlur Rehman questioned the need for such a law, recalling similar measures in the Musharraf era that he said treated citizens as 'born criminals'. The opposition maintained that the law could be misused, while the government insisted it was necessary to address the prevailing security situation. Oil reserves Separately, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) lawmakers sought clarification from the government over US President Donald Trump's past remarks about vast oil reserves in Pakistan. On July 31, Trump took to social media to announce a new deal between the US and Pakistan for the joint development of Pakistan's "massive oil reserves". PPP's Dr Nafisa Shah questioned why the government had not provided information if such reserves existed. 'The US President is telling us about oil reserves in Pakistan, but why is the Government of Pakistan not informing us?' Read More: Trump wins his deal, Pakistan eyes the future Responding to the call to attention notice, Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik said Pakistan had recently awarded oil exploration rights to companies from Kuwait, Turkey, and other countries. He confirmed the presence of reserves but said their exact size could only be determined after exploration work began. He added that three major gas fields—larger than the Sui field—had been discovered, and exploration had commenced in Hyderabad. Malik noted that countries such as China and the US possessed technology to verify the presence of oil and gas rapidly. Dr Shah also questioned whether Trump's remarks, including that Pakistan could one day export oil to India, were intended to pressure India into concessions, given that Pakistani ministers claimed they did not yet know the reserves' size. PPP lawmaker Syed Naveed Qamar asked if exploration opportunities would be open to countries beyond the US. Malik replied that rights would be available to multiple companies.
DW
17-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
All change or small change? Ukrainian government reshuffle – DW – 07/17/2025
A day after the Ukrainian prime minister stepped down, he was appointed defense minister. His deputy Yulia Svyrydenko, who played a part in closing a minerals deal with the US, is Ukraine's new prime minister Rumors of a government reshuffle had been circulating in Ukraine for the past three years and now they have become reality. On Thursday, the Ukrainian parliament approved the nomination of Yulia Svyrydenko as prime minister. Svyrydenko is a former economy minister who was already deputy prime minister. On Wednesday, parliament had also approved the resignation of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. As a result, the cabinet was automatically dissolved. Shmyhal had been in office for more than five years — longer than any other Ukrainian prime minister before him. Svyrydenko, 39, had gained prominence during weeks of talks with the US about a minerals deal that was signed in Washington at the end of April. She had proven herself to be a tough negotiator. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was necessary to rearrange the executive branch in Ukraine to implement agreements reached with international partners. Under Ukrainian law, elections cannot be held while martial law is in place. Article 10 of the rules on martial law states that while it is in force, "the authority of the Supreme Council of Ukraine […], ministries, other central and local executive agencies, […] may not be terminated." Representatives of the opposition expressed their doubts about the legitimacy of the government reshuffle. "Parliament recently extended martial law and could now violate Article 10, even though everyone agrees that the legislation would first have to be clarified or amended," explained Yaroslav Zheleznyak from the opposition Holos ("Voice") faction. Zelenskyy was also criticized for offering Svyrydenko the post of prime minister in public and thus violating the existing order, whereby a head of government can only be appointed by the president on the parliament's recommendation, which in turn must be preceded by a proposal by the governing coalition. Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party currently has a majority in parliament. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Ahead of the vote on Thursday, Oleg Saakyan, a political scientist and co-founder of the National Platform for Resilience and Social Cohesion, predicted parliament would approve the nomination of a new prime minister for reasons of political expediency. The reshuffle was long overdue and had actually been planned for 2024. The main reasons for this were the ongoing tensions within the government and "a number of obvious management problems" in various areas, from the defense sector to infrastructure and social policy. "The government wants to defuse some of these tensions publicly. It wants to gain some new credibility," Saakyan argued. However, Volodymyr Fesenko, a political scientist and head of Penta, a political think tank in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, doubted that the change of prime minister would trigger any major domestic changes. "The key political decisions will continue to be made by the president's office and Svyrydenko will implement them, as will the government," he suggested. Svyrydenko, who once served as the deputy head of the office of the president of Ukraine under Andriy Yermak, is a Zelenskyy confidante and considered to be a young and dynamic politician who can potentially bring new approaches to the table. Fesenko pointed out that she had the necessary "experience working in war conditions and dealing with international institutions." Petro Oleshchuk, a political scientist at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, told DW that despite a number of high-level corruption scandals, Zelenskyy wanted to demonstrate confidence in his team by reshuffling rather than changing ministers completely. "Shmyhal's transfer to another position within the government is intended to show that there is no internal conflict. These are merely personnel changes within a team,' Oleshchuk said. Saakyan thinks that the fact that the government reshuffle had not been extensive was actually a sign that there was an acute shortage of qualified and trustworthy candidates. He said that the new government would be forced to deliver quick results but remained skeptical about the future. "This is an adrenaline shot for the current government. But its quality will not change fundamentally," he predicted. Zelenskyy has already outlined the new government's key priorities, which include increasing domestic arms production, developing defense projects and deregulating the economy.
Mint
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
US strikes give Iran legal right to exit nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, says Iranian lawmaker
With the United States struck three key nuclear facilities in Iran on Saturday night, the latter's Parliament Foreign Policy Committee Head Abbas Golroo on Sunday cited Article 10 and said Iran has the legal right to withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) . According to the details, Article 10 states that an NPT member has "the right to withdraw from the Treaty if it decides that extraordinary events have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country."
