Pakistan government faces backlash over ‘draconian’ arrest powers

The prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has given the military and security services more power. Photograph: Press Information Department/Reuters

The Pakistan government is facing a backlash from MPs and senators after introducing an amendment to a colonial-era secrets act that critics have said will grant “draconian” powers to its military intelligence agency to detain and arrest citizens with impunity.

The amendment was quietly added in a parliamentary session and passed without providing copies to MPs, creating concern among parliamentarians on both sides of the aisle.