ATA amendment passed, permitting 3-month detention without trial

QUETTA, JUNE 5 (DNA): If any institution detains an individual, they will now be allowed to keep the person for up to three months before being required to present them in court and disclose the charges, under the newly passed Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Act Balochistan 2025.

The Balochistan Assembly passed the amended draft on Wednesday and Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said the issue of missing persons would be resolved through legal means.

Opposition member Kulsoom Niaz walked out of the Assembly after being denied the opportunity to speak. The Balochistan Assembly session on Wednesday began with a 30-minute delay under the chairmanship of Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai.

Sadiq Sanjrani, a member of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs, presented the committee’s report on the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Act Balochistan 2025.

When the draft law was presented for approval, opposition member Maulana Hidayatur Rehman commented that the issue of missing persons must be resolved.

He said the anti-terrorism bill might be correct, but it needed to be clear whom it actually benefited. “Who will be held accountable for those being killed?” he asked, adding that Counterterrorism Department actions were visible to everyone and the House should be taken into confidence on this bill.

JUI member Shahida Rauf said the bill should not be rushed and must be reviewed once more.

Responding, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said: “There is decorum in the Assembly. For a long time now, this issue has been ongoing. Who has made these people ‘missing’? Later, it turns out that they had links with banned outfits.”

He added that the issue of missing persons has been used as propaganda, aiming to discredit state institutions, and the solution lies in legislation. “We must prevent this issue from being misused. Anyone arrested will be presented before a magistrate.”

He explained: “If any institution picks someone up, they will be allowed to keep the individual for up to three months. After three months, the person must be presented before a court and informed of the charges against him.”

“The detained individual will be kept in a centre where they can meet their family. Their lawyer will also be informed. This way, the issue of missing persons will be resolved permanently. If anyone disappears beyond this system, he will be considered truly missing.”

He added that the law would be valid for six years, emphasizing that there was a systematic effort to disillusion Balochistan’s youths. “It is easy to blame the state,” he said.

Later, the provincial assembly passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Act Balochistan 2025. At this point, Kulsoom Niaz of the National Party attempted to speak but was not granted permission, prompting her to walk out.