“Unknown Judge, Unknown Prosecutor, Unknown Witness, Unknown Lawyer — But Death Is Real”: Kazim Khan

Lahore: Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) President and senior journalist Kazim Khan has strongly criticized the proposed Anti-Terrorism (Punjab Amendment) Bill, calling it a serious threat to judicial justice and due process.

In a post on social media platform X, Kazim Khan said a new anti-terrorism amendment bill was reportedly ready to be passed by the Punjab Assembly. Summarizing his concerns, he described the proposed system as “an unknown judge, unknown prosecutor, unknown witness, unknown lawyer — but death is real.”

Explaining his criticism, Khan warned that under the proposed amendment, a person could potentially be sentenced to death without even knowing which judge had heard the case.

He said the accused might also remain unaware of who had presented the prosecution’s case or who had provided evidence or testimony against them.

Khan further questioned whether the lawyer appearing alongside the accused would actually be their legal representative or someone acting on behalf of the government or officials, saying the accused might not even be allowed to know this.

پنجاب اسمبلی میں کل ایک نیا بل پاس ہونے کو تیار ۔ انسداد دہشت گردی ترمیمی بل۔

خلاصہ :خلائی جج، خلائی استغاثہ، خلائی گواہ ، خلائی وکیل , “موت زمینی“

آسان الفاظ میں : کسی فرد کو سزائے موت سنائی جا سکتی ہے، جبکہ اسے یہ علم تک نہ ہو کہ اس کا مقدمہ کس جج نے سنا، استغاثہ کس نے پیش…

— Kazam Khan (@presidentCPNE) August 30, 2026

The CPNE president expressed deep concern over the Punjab Assembly’s reported preparations to pass the amendment and described it as a “killing of judicial justice.”

He concluded his statement by expressing his grief and anger with the words, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.”