Sri Lanka, Sept. 14 -- A high-powered committee appointed by the Ministry of Justice is expeditiously drafting the new counter-terrorism legislation, Deputy Justice and National Integration Minister Mohomad Muneer Mulaffer told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

Deputy Minister Mulaffer said the drafting committee includes Supreme Court Judges and senior legal experts, and it is conducting wide-ranging consultations with civil society groups, including minority representatives and victims of PTA abuses.

"We have decided to do away with the PTA, which has faced international criticism for human rights and replace it with a new legal framework that will address national security concerns while remaining fully compliant with international huma...