Islamabad, August 13, 2025: The National Assembly has passed a bill authorising the armed forces or civil armed forces to detain any suspected individual for up to three months.
Clause-by-clause approval was granted to the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2024, with the House endorsing, by majority vote, amendments introduced by Syed Naveed Qamar in line with the standing committee’s report.
The opposition opposed the motion to present the bill. A PTI lawmaker questioned the urgency, noting that the bill had been tabled only on August 11.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman rejected the bill, telling the Assembly that the legislation effectively criminalises every citizen. He warned that the government would have unchecked powers to arrest anyone without explanation, forcing detainees to prove their innocence themselves.
“Right now, every Pakistani is a criminal in the eyes of this law. We do not support it,” he said.
PPP lawmaker Asifa Bhutto Zardari raised concerns over the closure of utility stores, calling for an immediate government response.
Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain replied that the federal cabinet had approved a “right-sizing” policy and that permanent Utility Stores Corporation employees would be accommodated. He said agreements had been reached with the employees during negotiations.
The Assembly was informed of large-scale illegal occupation of government residences nationwide. Since 2024, 742 units in Islamabad and Lahore, and 3,500 in Karachi, have been under illegal possession.
Federal Minister for Housing Riaz Pirzada, in a written reply, said the cabinet had ordered eviction of such residences on April 26, 2024. In cooperation with the IB and Estate Office, 742 houses had already been vacated.
From 2019 to date, 700 houses in Karachi have been recovered, with Rs 40 million collected from illegal occupants. Currently, 10 to 15 houses are being vacated daily in the city.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Water Resources Mueen Wattoo told the House that 18 large dams, costing Rs 1.036 trillion, were under construction, fully funded by the federal government. Once completed, these dams will store 8.231 million acre-feet (MAF) of water and bring 3.464 million acres of land under cultivation.
The Diamer-Bhasha Dam alone will have a storage capacity of 6.4 MAF.
He added that provincial governments were working on 77 dam projects costing over Rs 89.24 billion, while the federal government was planning 10 additional dams in Chiniot, Skardu, Wazirabad, Dadyal, Akhori, and the Sindh Barrage, among other locations.
