In releasing a Legislative Brief on the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2012, Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) has said that the draft amendment only covers just one aspect of the offences of terrorism financing and is far from the comprehensive amendment that the country requires in dealing with the challenge of terrorism. PILDAT has demanded that the government must introduce a more comprehensive amendment to the existing Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.
PILDAT said the draft amendment, which was introduced in the National Assembly on November 12, 2012, only covers a small portion of the overall Anti-Terrorism Act concerning the offences of terrorism financing. The proposed draft amendment under the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2012 appears to have been introduced only to correspond with the FATF guidelines to correct the shortcomings in the existing Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 that were highlighted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that blacklisted Pakistan in February 2012, it added.
In October 2011, the FATF pressed upon Islamabad to amend Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 for freezing assets and other stern action on charges of terrorist financing by February 12, 2012 deadline. On missing that deadline, the FATF blacklisted Pakistan in February 2012. The proposed draft amendment under the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2012 appears to have been introduced to correspond with the FATF guidelines relating to freeze, seizure and detention of property of a terrorist or terrorist organisations. Terrorism remains the biggest challenge confronting Pakistan today. PILDAT has repeatedly demanded that Pakistan requires a more effective legal regime, one that is implemented in letter and spirit, and which is overseen by the Parliament.
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