Senior PML-N Leader Strongly Criticizes Law Passed by His Own Government
LAHORE: Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former federal minister Mian Javed Latif has strongly criticized the Special Security Case law passed by the Punjab government led by his own party, calling it a highly dangerous step for judicial independence and transparent justice.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Javed Latif said that under the new law, a Grade-20 or higher officer nominated by the chief minister would independently decide which cases qualified for special protection.
He said that once the officer was nominated, the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court would be bound to implement the decision, with no room for refusal or right of review. He termed it contrary to fundamental principles of justice to give such authority over the judiciary to an unelected and unidentified bureaucrat.
پنجاب اسمبلی سے منظور ہونے والا “اسپیشل سیکیورٹی کیس” قانون عدلیہ کی آزادی اور شفاف انصاف کے لیے ایک خطرناک قدم ہے۔
اس قانون کے تحت ایک گریڈ 20 یا اس سے اوپر کا افسر، جسے وزیرِ اعلیٰ نامزد کرے گا، تن تنہا یہ فیصلہ کرنے کا اختیار رکھے گا کہ کون سا دہشت گردی کا مقدمہ “خصوصی تحفظ”…
— Mian Javed Latif (@Mian_JavedLatif) September 3, 2026
Javed Latif questioned why such powers were being taken away from independent judges and placed under an executive-appointed officer when the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and the Witness Protection Act 2018 already empower judges to conduct in-camera proceedings and trials inside prisons.
He said an officer nominated by the chief minister would not be in a position to refuse any government directive and warned that the law could potentially be used in the future as a tool of political retaliation against opponents, journalists and people holding dissenting views.
The PML-N leader further said Article 10-A of Pakistan’s Constitution guarantees every citizen the fundamental right to a fair trial. He argued that anonymous judges, anonymous witnesses and sealed records could seriously undermine this constitutional right.
Javed Latif warned that such measures could not only raise questions about Pakistan’s governance and rule of law at international forums such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), but could also undermine investor confidence and the public’s sense of security.
