In a globally realigning world, stocktaking of a phenomenon like 'terrorism' that defies any univ... more In a globally realigning world, stocktaking of a phenomenon like 'terrorism' that defies any universally acceptable definition is challenging task. Nonetheless, in the interest of meaningful understanding and knowledge based discourse, quantitative stocktaking, as opposed to qualitative assessment, may be considered. At the global level, the Global Terrorism Index, 2025 (GTI) compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) ranks Pakistan at number 2 out of 163 countries 1 . Likewise, the Global Peace Index, 2025 (GPI) places Pakistan at 144 out of 163 countries 2 . It is true that international indices may not be true, but these do present pointers towards the state of affairs.
On 13 th November, 2025, the Twenty Seventh Constitutional Amendment to the Constitution of Pakis... more On 13 th November, 2025, the Twenty Seventh Constitutional Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan (the 27 th Constitutional Amendment) was enacted by the Parliament. Just like any other constitutional amendment, it too had its own peculiar context. Notwithstanding the context, which is often explicated with loaded opinions and perspectives, the instant write up will highlight the salient features of the new amendment. It may, however, be noted that, initially, the claims about the subjects to be included were quite ambitious. The range of the subjects included: changes in the National Finance Commission (NFC); the legislative competence of the federation on education and health; the revival of the executive magistracy; changes in structure of the judicature and command of the armed forces. However, in the final shape, it primarily affected the judicature and the command structure of the armed forces of the country.
a terrorist incident took place at the gates of the Pakistan Ordnance Factory Wah (POF), resultin... more a terrorist incident took place at the gates of the Pakistan Ordnance Factory Wah (POF), resulting in the killing of sixty-nine persons. The trial court and appellate court convicted the sole available planner. In January 2025, however, the planner was acquitted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The acquittal reportedly stemmed from deficiencies in admissible evidence, procedural inconsistencies, and definitional ambiguities under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), reflecting systemic issues rather than investigative negligence. This acquittal did not receive much media attention and hence remained out of policy discourse, which in Pakistan is often media centric. This silence underscores a deeper challenge: terrorism cases, even of national importance, fail to trigger policy introspection on legislative inadequacies. While the military continues to lead in kinetic counter terrorism (CT) operations, the onus of legal reform lies squarely on the civilian law enforcement and justice sectors, which must rethink the legal framework especially the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (ATA) that remains outdated, disjointed, and increasingly irrelevant to evolving threats.
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