A faceless court is a court in which the identities of the judge, the prosecutors and the witnesses are hidden from the accused and the public, so that they cannot be identified and targeted. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa plans to set up faceless anti-terrorism courts for terrorism trials, the provincial government announced on 8 November 2026, in an attempt to get witnesses to come forward in cases where people are afraid to testify.

That is the idea in one sentence. How it would work in practice, and whether it will become law, is still to be decided.

What did Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announce?

The plan was announced at a security briefing at the Governor House in Peshawar on Sunday 8 November, attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and senior counter-terrorism officials. Home Secretary Amjad Ali Khan said the provincial administration had drafted a legislative amendment to establish faceless anti-terrorism courts, and that it had been sent for approval.

The reason, the home secretary said, is that witnesses in terrorism cases are reluctant to come forward because of security concerns. The courts are meant to shield judges, prosecutors and witnesses in terrorism trials from militant retribution. Identity-concealing measures of this kind typically involve video links, voice-modulating software and screened courtrooms, so that a witness can give evidence without being seen or recognised.

What are anti-terrorism courts?

Anti-terrorism courts, usually shortened to ATCs, are special courts in Pakistan that try terrorism cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act. They are separate from the ordinary criminal courts and are meant to deal with terrorism cases more quickly. A faceless ATC would be the same kind of court, trying the same kind of case, but with the identities of the people running the trial and giving evidence protected.

It is important to be clear about what faceless does not mean. It does not mean a secret trial with no record. The trial still takes place, evidence is still heard, and a verdict is still given. What changes is who can see and identify the judge, the prosecutors and the witnesses.

Why now?

The faceless-courts proposal is part of a wider security plan for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, presented at the same briefing. The provincial administration said it would spend Rs70.1 billion on the police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD): Rs59.8 billion for the police and Rs10.3 billion for the CTD. About Rs38.7 billion is earmarked for infrastructure and Rs31.3 billion for equipment.

The briefing laid out how thin the province's counter-terrorism capacity has become. The CTD's capacity is to be raised from 12 percent to 37 percent. About 17,000 police and CTD posts are vacant, including 638 field-operator positions in the CTD. Despite being set up in 2014, the CTD has infrastructure in only 12 of the province's 37 districts. Against an approved allocation of Rs6.4 billion for 22 districts, only Rs1 billion had been released.

The human cost behind those figures is large. From 2024 to September 2026, a total of 2,438 people lost their lives in the province, including 1,003 military personnel, 627 police personnel and 808 civilians. The plan also includes anti-drone systems in three districts, nerve centres in 10 districts, Safe City projects and a dedicated Safe Cities Authority, and the use of artificial intelligence to monitor militant propaganda.

What happens next?

The proposal is not yet law. No draft amendment has been published, so the exact scope of the faceless-courts plan is not yet known — including whether it would apply to all terrorism trials or only some, and how the legislation would be enacted while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains under governor's rule. The prime minister briefed PML-N president Nawaz Sharif on the security plan at Jati Umra on Sunday, and the governor has said there will be no negotiations with those who take up arms against the state.

Until a draft is published, the honest summary is this: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced that it wants faceless anti-terrorism courts, it has sent an amendment for approval, and it has put a large funding plan behind the police and the CTD. The details — and the debate about them — will come when the draft is made public.

Frequently asked questions

What is a faceless court? A court where the judge, prosecutors and witnesses are not identified to the accused or the public, to protect them from threats and retaliation.

Why are they proposed for terrorism cases? Because witnesses in terrorism cases are often afraid to testify, and judges and prosecutors can also be targeted. Hiding identities is intended to make people willing to give evidence.

Are faceless courts already operating in Pakistan? No. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa proposal was announced on 8 November 2026 and an amendment has been sent for approval. No faceless anti-terrorism court has been formally notified. Centreline reported the announcement from the Peshawar briefing, and Khyber Chronicles set out the full Rs70.1 billion security plan behind it.