ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi denied signing the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023 on Sunday, saying that his staff “undermined” his instructions.
Alvi’s comments came a day after he agreed to the two bills on the microblogging network X, formerly known as Twitter.
“As God is my witness, I did not sign the Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 because I disagreed with these laws,” President Alvi remarked on X.
“I instructed my staff to return the bills unsigned within the time frame specified in order to render them ineffective.” I asked them several times whether they had been returned and was promised that they had.”
“However, I discovered today that my staff had undermined my will and command.” Allah, who knows everything, will forgive IA. “However, I beg forgiveness from those who will be affected,” he adds.
On August 15, two PTI leaders, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Imran Khan, were detained after a first information report (FIR) was filed against them under the Official Secrets Act for leaking the contents of the diplomatic cipher for political advantage.
Following the discoveries about President Alvi, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) voiced serious worry, claiming that his position was exceptional, worrisome, and inconceivable in every way.
“The president’s tweet has exposed the nation to the deadliest infection spreading from top to bottom in the state system,” the PTI said on its official X account.
It went on to say that the party’s spokesman will reply after thoroughly analyzing President Alvi’s tweet.
Furthermore, political and legal experts believe that President Alvi should initiate legal actions against his employees since his apology was insufficient.
On July 31, the National Assembly passed the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks to punish individuals with up to five years in prison for exposing sensitive information about national security or the armed services.
Separately, the Official Secrets Act was approved just days before the National Assembly’s dissolution on August 7.
Following adoption by both the Senate and the National Assembly, a move that garnered condemnation from legislators on both the treasury and opposition benches, the legislation were forwarded to the president for his signature.
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