{
  "id": 4691942,
  "title": "Punjab Assembly passes anti-terrorism bill after opposition walkout",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/punjab-assembly-passes-anti-terrorism-bill-after-opposition-walkout",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-31T18:47:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Times",
    "slug": "daily-times",
    "url": "https://dailytimes.com.pk/1546114/punjab-assembly-passes-anti-terrorism-bill-after-opposition-walkout/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Punjab Assembly has passed the Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill 2026, despite opposition from lawmakers who walked out of the session. The bill was debated, with concerns raised about its legal and constitutional impact.\n\nAccording to Dawn - Pakistan, the opposition leader Moin Riaz Qureshi described the bill as \"draconian\" and said it was intended to \"crush the citizens of Punjab\". In response, Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan cited Article 142 of the Constitution, which concerns criminal-law jurisdiction, to defend the bill's consideration.\n\nThe Speaker also referenced his personal experiences with terrorism in the 1990s, which he said had resulted in over 100,000 deaths in Pakistan. He suggested that the opposition propose amendments rather than blocking the bill, citing examples of \"faceless\" courts in other countries, such as the US, that deal with extreme terror threats.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn - Pakistan",
        "title": "Opposition walks out as Punjab Assembly passes controversial Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2026",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/opposition-walks-out-as-punjab-assembly-passes-controversial-anti",
        "published": "2026-08-31T18:20:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "Kano Assembly passes Economic Planning and Development Council Bill into law",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/kano-assembly-passes-economic-planning-and-development-council-bill",
        "published": "2026-08-31T18:58:48.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}