HRCP fears anti-terrorism bill passed by Punjab Assembly may undermine fair-trial guarantees

The Punjab Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2026, recently passed by the Punjab Assembly, has raised serious concerns among the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). The HRCP fears that the provisions allowing certain cases to be declared "special security cases" could undermine fair-trial guarantees and create opportunities for the abuse of state power.

Under the amendment, a confidential government officer can declare a case a "special security case", which would then shield the identities of judges, prosecutors, police officers, witnesses, and defense counsel involved in the case. The HRCP questions whether the need for such extensive powers has been sufficiently established and warns that the secrecy surrounding these proceedings could have severe consequences for an accused person.

They argue that this bill is part of a broader trend where security justifications are being used to expand state power at the expense of fundamental rights. The HRCP calls for the bill to be reconsidered and brought into line with constitutional and international fair-trial guarantees, insisting that any security measures should be narrowly defined, clearly regulated, and subject to independent judicial oversight to prevent arbitrary use of exceptional powers.