ISLAMABAD   -   Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazir Tarar on Sunday with­drew the contentious ‘The Preven­tion of Violent Extremism Bill, 2023’ from the legislative agenda of Senate.

He clarified that this decision was unrelated to the current govern­ment, as the bill had been drafted al­most two years ago during the ten­ure of the previous administration. Addressing the house, Senator Tarar highlighted the bill’s history and presented the motion for its with­drawal. He emphasized that the fate of the bill would now be left to the newly-elected government to deter­mine. The motion for the withdraw­al of the controversial bill received unanimous support from the mem­bers of the house, signifying a collec­tive decision on the matter.

It’s worth noting that Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq San­jrani played a pivotal role in this development by removing the bill from the house’s agenda, intro­duced on July 30, 2023. This deci­sion came in response to concerns expressed by multiple members of parliament regarding the bill’s con­tent and implications.

The withdrawal of the ‘The Preven­tion of Violent Extremism Bill, 2023’ marked a significant turning point in the legislative proceedings, prompt­ing speculation about the future di­rection that the new government would take on this important issue.