ISLAMABAD-
President Mamnoon Hussain on Friday signed Protection of Pakistan Bill-2014 into a law, a private news channel reported.
The new law, dubbed as a violation of Pakistan’s international legal obligations by the Human Rights Watch (HRW), permits security forces to shoot suspects on sight with the permission of a grade-15 official, doubles the maximum sentence for terror offences to 20 years and allows security forces to detain suspects for up to 60 days without disclosing their location or allegations against them.
The bill was recently approved by the upper and lower houses of the Parliament and awaited the signature of the President to come into effect. It will be applicable for the next two years.
The bill had received severe criticism from Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).