The bill would further amend the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 (Act No. 45 of 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 (Act No. 5 of 1898) and this Act will be called the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2020.
Under the bill, it would be a crime to deliberately mock, insult or defame the armed forces or any of its members. Those who do so could face up to two years in prison and a fine of Rs 500,000 or both. The aim is to curb hateful and arrogant behavior against the armed forces.
Later, the bill to further amend the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 was passed by a majority despite the opposition's opposition. The bill was introduced by Fahim Khan. I have added a clause to use new techniques. The investigating officer will use some techniques in 60 days with the permission of the court to trace the financing of terrorism.
These techniques include covert operations, communication tracking, computer system inspections, and a 60-day extension can be obtained by submitting a written request to the court.
The court may extend the written application if it is satisfied on the basis of the reasons given or the situation. The aims and objectives of the bill are that the provision of funds for terrorism is a major obstacle which is not only a disgrace to the development of the country. But is also benefiting financially those elements who are ultimately a major threat to the country's internal and external peace and, to some extent, its allies.
The main purpose of introducing this bill is to enable the law enforcement agencies through the inclusion of the said section to eradicate these curses by adopting some preventive techniques with the empowered assistance of the courts of law. During the passage of the bill, there was a lot of protest and noise from the opposition, but the bill was passed by a majority.
