Senate Standing Committee approves the "Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2020"

The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice has approved the "Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2020" while the amendment in the UN Security Council Bill has also been passed on Thursday.

As per details, a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice was held under the chairmanship of Javed Abbasi in which the Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill and the UN Security Council Amendment Bill were discussed.

In a meeting chaired by Chairman Committee Senator Javed Abbasi, Foreign Office officials said that both the Asia Pacific Group and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) were monitoring Pakistan. They said that the Security Council sanctions must be implemented. In the case of terrorists, the SRO has to be issued within a few hours, they said.

They said that an amendment to the Security Council Act has been proposed by the FATF and an implementation report has to be sent to the FATF by August 6.

After deliberation, the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice passed the Security Council Amendment Bill.

Farooq Naik suggested that the name of the Pakistani personality or institution should be included in the assignment of powers. Naik said that they want powers not to be transferred to a non-Pakistani. The committee also approved the proposed amendment.

Apart from PML-N and PPP members, Federal Law Minister Farrukh Naseem also supported Farooq Naik's amendment.

The committee members also demanded that a copy of the FATF's demands be provided.

The Senate Standing Committee also approved the Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill with amendments.

Farrukh Naseem said that action would also be taken against negligent government officials under the bill. Case-to-case criminal and departmental action will be taken against government officials.

The Home Secretary said that the fine under the bill has been increased from Rs 10 million to Rs 50 million. In addition, a sentence of up to 10 years has also been proposed while an interesting dialogue took place between the members in the meeting.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi thanked the Senate members for approving the legislation related to FATF and foiling the Indian designs to push Pakistan towards FATF’s black list.

Speaking on floor of the House, he said Pakistan has undertaken this legislation in compliance of its obligations to implement International Court of Justice’s judgment in Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav case.

Qureshi expressed the confidence that after this legislation Pakistan will come out of the FATF grey list as it has fulfilled all the requirements in this respect.