New Delhi,UPDATED: Aug 20, 2023 16:56 IST
Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Sunday said that he had not approved the Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 and Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as he “disagreed” with the laws, adding that his staff had “undermined his will and command”.
This came after Pakistani media on Saturday reported that Arif Alvi gave his assent for the bills to become acts in Parliament.
In a post on X, Pakistan President Arif Alvi said that he had asked his staff to return the bills unsigned within a stipulated time to make them ineffective. However, he said, his staff “undermined his will”.
“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,” he wrote on X.
On Saturday, Dawn, a Pakistani media outlet, reported that the President approved the bills after they were sent to him following approval from the Senate and National Assembly.
The Pakistan Army Act is usually applied to serving officers, who are tried through the institution’s internal inquiry, trial and punishment system, in which an officer, if found guilty, is discharged from service through a court martial and a dishonorable exit.
The Official Secrets Act and its sections relate to sedition, spying, and espionage, the punishment for which also includes capital punishment.
According to The Tribune, the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill proposed that if someone intentionally causes public disturbance or goes against the government, they will be considered to have committed an offence.
On the other hand, Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 says that army officials can’t take part in politics for two years after they leave the army, reported The Tribune. Officials with important roles need to wait five years after leaving the army before they can join politics.
