Bill Will Resolve Missing Persons Issue Permanently: CM Bugti
Quetta: The Balochistan Assembly has passed the Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill 2025 with a majority vote, which Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti has termed as a significant step towards a permanent solution to the issue of missing persons in the province.
The assembly session was held under the chairmanship of Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai, where the bill was presented by Member of Assembly Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani. Different views were expressed in the house during the approval of the bill.
Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, while supporting the bill, said that: If someone is detained by state agencies, he will be kept in a detention center for three months,
After which he will be presented in court and the details of the charges will be explained. “Meetings will also be allowed during detention.”
He added that the bill aims to prevent baseless allegations and criticism of state institutions, because sometimes young people themselves go missing and join extremist organizations and the blame is put on the state.
However, the opposition expressed reservations about the bill. Member of Assembly Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman demanded that: The government should guarantee that no one will be harmed during detention,
because the issue of missing persons is the most sensitive issue in Balochistan. Member of Assembly Shahida Rauf also opined that the bill should not be passed in a hurry and that it should be further considered.
Despite all the differences, the Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill 2025 was passed in the House, after which the Assembly session was adjourned for an indefinite period.
