Pakistan judicial developments involving Anti-Terrorism Courts

In Lahore, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) rejected bail pleas for Allama Farooq-ul-Hassan, a leader of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. Judge Shahid Sikandar denied the requests, citing dissatisfaction with the applications in cases involving charges of murder, arson, terrorism, and violence against police officers. The court has reserved decisions on three additional bail applications registered in 2025.

Separately, the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan (FCCP) has reinstated three ATC judges who were removed by the Sindh government. The removal followed amendments to the Anti-Terrorism (Sindh Amendment) Act, 2025, which imposed a mandatory retirement age of 65 for such judges. The FCCP declared the provincial government’s notification to be without lawful authority, ruling that the new age limit could not be applied to judges appointed for fixed terms before the legislation came into force.