ISLAMABAD: If not improved upon, the Protection of Pakistan Ordinance (PPO) 2013 will create problems rather than resolving issues the country is currently plagued with.

A citizen arrested under the PPO will be considered guilty unless he proves himself innocent. So the conviction rate may increase because of the law.

These views were expressed by speakers at a seminar, ‘Counterterrorism legislation in Pakistan: the way forward’ organised by the Research Society of International Law (RSIL) at a local hotel on Monday.

Moreover, they added, armed forces will get the power to arrest any person on mere suspicion and directly produce them in the courts.

Former minister and president RSIL Ahmer Bilal Soofi, said it was the obligation of the state to fight terrorism. But there are several conventions on human rights which have to be considered.

“After getting the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus status from the European Union (EU), another 27 conventions have to be implemented within one year. These conventions are related to child labour, corruption, terrorism, narcotics etc,” he said.

“The international community has been pushing Pakistan to counter the menace of terrorism and also ensure human rights. So the first option for the government is to resolve issues with Taliban through negotiations,” he said.

Talking about the role of the police in maintaining peace, Mr Soofi said at the moment all provinces, Fata and the federal capital had different police orders due to which the police of one area felt uncomfortable while working in other area.

The confusion increases if the police of two provinces interact with each other.

“Everyone talks about ‘Madressah reforms’ but after the 18th amendment religious education has been devolved to provinces due to which the federal government cannot do anything about it.

To improve the system of investigation, Mr Soofi suggested that an elite panel of officers should be appointed to investigate cases and another panel of three retired judges may be appointed to review the challans of high-profile cases.

“About 30 judges, 50 investigation officers and 50 prosecutors should be appointed for Karachi operation and same set-up should be established for the operation in Fata to ensure speedy trial. The language of ATA (anti-terrorism act) and the PPO laws should be improved.”

Legal expert Jamal Aziz said ATA and PPO were not made with proper consultation due to which the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 has been amended 16 times and another two amendments are in the parliament.

“Moreover, the PPO was amended in January 2014 which showed that more concentration, research and hard work was required before its legislation,” he said.

Under ATA, anti-terrorism courts were established but the law was abused and even cases of cattle stealing were registered under ATA. Both ATA and PPO are overlapping each other because they are dealing with similar offenses, he saidLegal expert Mohammad Ovais Anwar said the definition of improvised explosive devices should be included in the laws.

“Evidences collected by the armed forces should be admissible in courts. Moreover, special magistrates should be appointed to document the detained persons. Heath facilities for detained persons should also be ensured.