President Arif Alvi says he didn’t sign Official Secrets, Army Acts

ISLAMABAD: Contrary to reports aired on media, President Dr Arif Alvi on Sunday said he did not sign the Official Secrets Act and Army Act as he disagreed with the laws. He said the President Office staff did not comply his order or returning the bills without signing them, Bol News reported.

In a tweet, he said: “As God is my witness, I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as I disagreed with these laws. I asked my staff to return the bills unsigned within stipulated time to make them ineffective.

“I confirmed from them many times that whether they have been returned & was assured that they were. However I have found out today that my staff undermined my will and command. As Allah knows all, He will forgive IA. But I ask forgiveness from those who will be effected.”

Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan said if it was true then it was an insult to the state of Pakistan and parliament.

“This has opened a new pandora box, if the situation is really like what the president has written, then it is an insult to the state of Pakistan, parliament, legislation, as well as 24 crore Pakistanis. Matters will once again go to the courts. The situation of Pakistan can be estimated from this situation of the office, may Allah have mercy on Pakistan,” he tweeted.

People are asking why it took the president more than 24 hours to deny that he signed the bills.

On August 19, media had reported that President Dr Arif Alvi had given his approval to the Official Secrets and Pakistan Army amendment bills, officially making them into laws.

These bills had been previously ratified by both the Senate and National Assembly. The prior government had forwarded these bills to the president after their approval in both parliamentary houses.

Notably, the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, had undergone a significant change before being passed by the National Assembly, as the contentious provision allowing intelligence agencies to arrest individuals without a warrant was removed.