Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarrar, has confirmed that the government will not pursue the Violent Extremism Bill, shifting the blame for the legislation on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), The News has reported.

Seeking to distance his government from the bill, which seeks to ban any organisation which resorts to violence from contesting elections, Tarrar said that the bill was drafted by the PTI government including every full stop and comma.

However, the current government has decided against introducing the bill,” he said, speaking in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had advised them against drafting such legislation in haste.

On Sunday, the bill was dropped by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, who halted further proceedings following opposition by senators. Sanjrani said that the government should reconsider the bill.

The bill was termed “dangerous for democracy” by senators, including those from the treasury benches.