In a surprising twist of events, Pakistan President Arif Alvi claimed on Sunday that he did not sign the amendments to the Official Secrets Act and the Pakistan Army Act, citing his "disagreement" with these legislative changes. He alleged that his directives were not upheld by his staff, resulting in a breach of his authority.
"With utmost sincerity, I confirm that I did not provide my endorsement to the Official Secrets Amendment Bill, 2023, and the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill, 2023 due to my reservations concerning these statutes," Alvi said in a post on social media platform X.
The president further said that he had instructed his team to return the bills unendorsed within the stipulated timeframe to render them "ineffective."
"I inquired multiple times whether the bills had been returned and received assurances to that effect. However, I have now learned today that my instructions were disregarded by my staff. In the knowledge of the Almighty, forgiveness shall be granted, Insha'Allah. Nonetheless, I sincerely seek forgiveness from those who will be impacted," Alvi added.
As per media reports, Alvi had granted his approval to the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023 on Saturday, thus conferring legislative status upon these proposed measures.
Both bills had secured approval from both the Senate and the National Assembly and were subsequently forwarded to the president for his endorsement, amidst objections from opposition parliamentarians a few weeks prior.
Section 6-A of the secrets act introduces a new offense related to unauthorized disclosure of the identities of intelligence agency members, informants, or sources. This violation carries a potential penalty of up to three years of imprisonment and a fine reaching Rs10 million.
The revised Army Act introduces the possibility of a maximum imprisonment term of five years for anyone found guilty of revealing information acquired in an official capacity that could potentially undermine Pakistan's security or the armed forces' interests.
The president's announcement follows a day after Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Vice Chairman of the PTI, was apprehended in connection with a first information report filed on August 15 under the Official Secrets Act against former Foreign Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The case emerged following the publication of an alleged diplomatic cable by an American news outlet, The Intercept, which had reportedly gone missing from Imran Khan's possession.
Imran Khan, who was interrogated by the Federal Investigation Agency a few days earlier in the cipher case while detained in Attock jail following his conviction in the Toshakhana case, asserted that his removal from office last year was orchestrated under a "US conspiracy." The PTI contends that the cipher contained a U.S.-backed threat to remove Mr. Khan from his position.
In the previous week, the president returned more than a dozen bills for reconsideration by the Parliament. These bills, passed by both parliamentary chambers towards the end of the PML-N-led government's term, will be revisited post general elections, once a new National Assembly is established.
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