Islamabad, Pakistan — Politicians in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, have passed a law allowing terrorism trials to be held in near-total secrecy, with the judge, prosecutor and witnesses permitted to remain anonymous. Under the law, a person facing the country’s most serious criminal charge could be convicted without learning who heard the case against them, who prosecuted it or who testified. The trial record can be sealed, and an appeal could be heard by judges never told who presided over the original trial.
The Anti-Terrorism (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2026 passed the Punjab Assembly on August 31, after opposition politicians staged a walkout in protest. Four days earlier, the government had appeared to relent, agreeing to have the bill reviewed by the law department or a parliamentary committee. When it returned to the floor, it was unchanged and passed without amendment on Monday.
The law has drawn criticism from opposition politicians, lawyers, rights groups and analysts, who say it concentrates enormous power in a single, unnamed official and could be used against government critics. The law lets the government appoint a senior bureaucrat as a “designated authority” tasked with deciding what cases are to be heard under the special provisions earmarked in the legislation. The official’s identity is kept confidential, known only to the chief justice of the Lahore High Court.
The official can declare any terrorism case, or even a whole category of them, a “special security case” if they conclude that the people involved need special “protection”. The law does not clearly define the parameters that need to be met, and the accused cannot contest being placed under this category. Once the official requests it, the chief justice assigns the case to a sitting anti-terrorism court judge.
A panel of five public prosecutors is drawn up, and the official picks one. From there, the identities of the judge, prosecutor, police officers, witnesses and defence lawyers cannot be disclosed under any circumstances. Official titles are used instead of names, and court orders are signed without revealing who signed them.
Witnesses are identified only by codes. Hearings can be held over videolink, including from inside a prison, with voice-altering technology used to disguise participants. The case file is sealed and held jointly by the chief justice and the official.
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