Latest Anti-Terrorism Court News & Updates

Islamabad, May 16 (IANS) Pakistan’s most frequently targeted security force is also the cheapest to maintain – a stark and indefensible arithmetic that reflects a system in which the personnel are consistently underpaid, under-resourced, and left exposed. According to a report in online magazine ‘The Diplomat’, among the provinces across Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa records lowest police salaries – underscoring the sharp disparities in pay structure in the volatile region.It mentioned that whi…

Quetta, March 18 (IANS) Human rights organisation Baloch Yakjehti Committee held a seminar in Karachi highlighting the dire human rights situation across Balochistan and the “arbitrary detention” of its chief organiser, Mahrang Baloch, and other leaders.According to the rights body, the event was organised as part of the BYC’s month-long awareness campaign, initiated in response to the “continued targeting of independent voices, the misuse of legal frameworks to suppress democratic activism, and…

Quetta, March 17 (IANS) A leading Pakistani human rights organisation on Tuesday voiced serious concern over the continued detention and ongoing trials of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders, including Mahrang Baloch, who have been kept in custody for nearly a year while facing “multiple fabricated cases” before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Quetta. The BYC mentioned that detainees have voiced their concerns on record before the court on February 7 and expressed lack of confidence in the…

Islamabad, Feb 18 (IANS) A district and sessions court in Pakistan has directed the prosecution to ensure the appearance of former Prime Minister Imran Khan at the next hearing, either in person or through a video link, while extending his pre-arrest bail in five cases, including one related to the alleged attempted murder of former minister Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, local media reported on Wednesday.District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka barred the police from arresting the Pakistan T…

Athens, Feb 3 (IANS) Journalists and media organisations across Pakistan have faced mounting pressures in recent years, including legal cases, threats, and constraints on reporting. Critics argue that the frequent use of counterterrorism laws by the Pakistani authorities in cases related to speech and political commentary blurs the line between legitimate national security concerns and the silencing of dissent, a report said on Tuesday. According to a report in Greek City Times, the recent convi…

Islamabad, Feb 3 (IANS) An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi once again on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan and her two guarantors for the November 2024 protest, local media reported. The court also issued a show-cause notice to the Superintendent of Police (SP) Rawal for not executing the non-bailable arrest warrants against Aleema Khan. The court issued non-bailable warrants for two guarantors – Nadeem Bilal a…

Islamabad, Feb 2 (IANS) An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Monday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan for the November 2024 protest in the garrison town, local media reported. The court issued the arrest warrant against Aleema Khan over her continued absence at the hearings despite repeated summons. During the proceedings, lawyer Faisal Malik contended that Aleema Khan will not be present in court until her bank acco…

Washington, Jan 27 (IANS) While Pakistan has increasingly misused laws to target journalists for coverage critical of state institutions by investigating, summoning, and jailing them — real terrorists in the country operate freely raising funds, recruiting, indoctrinating and training their members to pursue jihad, including ethnic cleansing, terrorism, imperialism, and territorial expansionism, a report said on Tuesday. Writing for American media outlet ‘PJ Media’, Turkish journalist Uzay …

Quetta, Jan 17 (IANS) As violence targeting civilians continues unabated across Balochistan, a leading human rights organisation raised alarm over the enforced disappearance of another Baloch youth, allegedly at the hands of Pakistani forces.Citing local sources, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, mentioned that18-year-old Mehran Baloch, a nursing student from Kaleero region in Kech district of the province, was forcibly abducted on January 15.At the time of the incid…

Islamabad, Jan 8 (IANS) A leading international human rights organisation condemned the convictions and severe prison sentences issued in absentia by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Pakistan against a group of Pakistani journalists and political commentators residing abroad.The statement came after Islamabad’s ATC on January 2 sentenced YouTuber Adil Raja, former army official Syed Akbar Hussain, and journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir, Moeed Pirzada, Shaheen Sehbai, and Haider Mehdi t…