Amnesty International Criticizes Pakistan’s New Protest Law

Amnesty International has condemned Pakistan's 'Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill,' recently signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari. The law allows stricter controls on public gatherings in Islamabad and increases penalties for participating in 'unlawful' assemblies, eliciting concerns about human rights violations.

Amnesty International has strongly denounced Pakistan's new 'Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill,' which has been approved by President Asif Ali Zardari and passed by both houses of Parliament. The bill aims to 'regulate' public gatherings in Islamabad, sparking concerns over potential crackdowns on peaceful protests.

The legislation was finalized and received Presidential assent within a week of being proposed. Babu Ram Pant, Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, described the bill as an attack on the right to peaceful assembly, alleging it criminalizes peaceful protests and suppresses dissent.

Pant criticized the swiftness of the bill's passage, noting it expands authorities' power to ban assemblies on broad grounds like 'disruption of daily activities,' and increases the maximum imprisonment penalty for 'unlawful assembly' from six months to three years. Amnesty International urges the Pakistani government to repeal the act and amend laws that violate international human rights standards.

(With inputs from agencies.)