Apropos 'President signs Protection of Pakistan Bill into law' carried by Business Recorder yesterday, it is heartening to note that President Mamnoon Hussain has signed into law the Protection of Pakistan Bill. The new law doubles the maximum sentence for terrorism offences to 20 years and allows security forces to hold suspects for up to 60 days without disclosing their whereabouts or allegations against them.
It may be recalled that several parties, including PPP, ANP and MQM, had initially opposed this bill. Later, they nevertheless acquiesced to its passage after this proposed law was considerably watered down. Its passage was necessitated by a stark reality that the country is in a state of war with those who have challenged the writ of the state. It is hoped that this law will come under stern scrutiny after the government is able to achieve peace, however relative, in the country as early as possible.
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