Senate drops ‘Prevention of Violent Extremism Bill’

• Ruling coalition senators say bill attack on democracy.
• Stated the bill is against every political party and not just PTI.
• The bill was dropped in the wake of majority opposition in the House.

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has dropped the government’s Prevention of Violent Extremism (Amendment) Bill from the day’s agenda during a session of the Upper House on Sunday.

Some senators raised objections to the bill and its presentation, prompting this action.

Sanjrani stated that he would drop the bill regardless of the government’s position and sought the House’s opinion on presenting the bill before the committee.

Opposition to the bill came from different parties, including the ruling coalition partner Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza expressed concerns about its impact on fundamental rights and disapproved of it.

Other senators from JUI-F and Jamaat-e-Islami also opposed the bill, criticizing the lack of consultation with allied parties.

Senator Tahir Bizinjo labeled the bill an attack on democracy and warned against stifling those advocating for the Constitution’s supremacy.

Dr. Humayun Mohmand of the PTI demanded the bill be sent to the relevant committee for further review.

The Prevention of Violent Extremism Bill 2023 was introduced by PML-N’s Minister of State Shahadat Awan, but the opposition requested it to be referred to the committee first.

During the session, Senator Mushtaq also demanded the expulsion of Sweden and Denmark’s diplomatic staff and the severing of diplomatic ties with these countries following the desecration of the Holy Quran.

He proposed considering Quran desecration as an act of terrorism and suggested legislation at the UN level.