Observer Report
Islamabad
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday recommended the Parliament to redefine the word ‘terrorism’ in line with international perspectives of that offence and focusing on violent activities aimed at achieving political, ideological or religious objectives.
“We may observe that the definition of ‘terrorism’ contained in section 6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 as it stands at present is too wide and the same includes so many actions, designs and purposes which have no nexus with the generally recognized concept of what terrorism is.”
“Apart from that including some other heinous offences in the Preamble and the Third Schedule to that Act for trial of such offences by an Anti-Terrorism Court when such other offences do not qualify to be included in the definition of terrorism puts an extra and unnecessary burden on such courts and causes delay in trial of actual cases of terrorism,” says the 59-page judgment authored by Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa.
“It is, therefore, recommended that the Parliament may consider substituting the present definition of ‘terrorism’ by a more succinct definition bringing it in line with the international perspectives of that offence and focusing on violent activities aimed at achieving political, ideological or religious objectives,” the judgment added. “We further recommend that the Parliament may also consider suitably amending the Preamble to the Act and removing all those offences from the Third Schedule to the Act which offences have no nexus with the offence of terrorism.”
The seven-judge larger bench, presided by the CJP on April 2, reserved a verdict on the issue. The meaning, scope and import of the term ‘terrorism’ is defined in Section-6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.
It has been amended repeatedly and has been the subject of controversy in the apex court for some time.
