PAKISTAN PARLIAMENT PASSES CONTROVERSIAL
BILL ON SNOOPING
[Measure a part of the war on terrorism]
A controversial bill that will give Pakistan's
intelligence agencies sweeping powers to conduct
surveillance and collect electronic data has been passed by
both houses of Parliament, paving the way for it to be
signed into law by President. The Fair Trial Bill 2012 which
has been criticised by rights groups for posing a
threat to privacy and civil liberties, was passed by Senate on
February 1, 2013. It had been passed by the National
Assembly or lower house of Parliament on December 20,
2013. The law will empower intelligence and security
agencies to tap phone calls, monitor emails
and gather data from SMSs and other means of
communication as part of the war on terrorism. The electronic
data gathered by the security agencies will be accepted in
court in case registered under five security-related laws. Under the law, SMSs, phone calls, emails and audiovisual recordings will be admissible as evidence in court while suspects can be held for six months after a warrant is issued by a provincial High Court at the request of heads of intelligence and security agencies.
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