Punjab Assembly Passes Controversial Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill: New Section 21AAA Inserted Into Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. BS-20 Designated Authority Can Declare “Special Security Cases”. Identities Of Judges Prosecutors Witnesses All Concealed.
According to Dawn, the Punjab Assembly on August 31, 2026, passed the Punjab Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2026 amid heated debate and a full walkout by opposition lawmakers, inserting a new Section 21AAA into the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 that creates a “special security case” mechanism in which the identities of judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers, witnesses and other participants can be entirely concealed. dawn
Under the bill, a designated authority, an officer of at least BS-20 whose own identity remains confidential, can declare any case or class of cases a special security case. At the authority’s request, the LHC chief justice assigns the case to an Anti-Terrorism Court judge. Judicial orders would carry official titles rather than judges’ names, while witnesses would be identified through codes. Proceedings could be conducted through video links, including from prisons, and an accused cannot challenge the constitution of the tribunal or seek the recusal of a judge whose identity is unknown.
Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan defended the bill by citing Article 142 of the Constitution and recalling terrorism’s toll from the 1990s, arguing that even democratic nations such as the US use anonymous courts for extreme terror threats. Opposition Leader Moin Riaz Qureshi condemned it as “draconian” and a “bill to crush the citizens of Punjab,” accusing the ruling government of targeting PTI, much as it had used NAB laws and defamation legislation against political rivals. Lawmaker Ahmar Rashid Bhatti compared the law to a 1909 British colonial-era act once opposed by Jinnah, warning it violates Article 10-A’s guarantee of a fair and transparent trial.
The opposition walked out, chanted slogans and raised a quorum objection which the treasury benches successfully overcame. With the opposition absent, all proposed amendments were rejected and the bill passed.
When the law itself hides the judge, the prosecutor and the witness, the accused has no one left to face. Check out our previous coverage of Pakistan’s politics on The Trusted Times.
