President.Islamic Republic. Pakistan . Dr. Arif Alvi, on Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 and Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023. Refused to sign.
On Twitter. He says in the message that. I take Allah as my witness that, I Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023. And did not sign the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 because. I did not agree with these rules. I told my staff. Those unsigned bills. Within the stipulated time. return it so that They can be made ineffective.
I asked them many times. Confirmed if they have gone back. And I was assured that they had gone. However, I found out today that my staff went against my wishes and orders. Allah knows everything, He will forgive insha Allah. But I apologize to those who will be affected by this.
Pakistan’s Senate and National Assembly unanimously passed the bill, based on amendments to the Army Act, 1952, which provides that any person, obtained in an official capacity, may disclose information which discloses or, causes to be disclosed, which may be prejudicial to the national interest and security, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years.
It also includes the proposal that an army officer who has been holding a post during service which is covered by the Army Act and which has been declared ‘sensitive’ may, on his retirement, or resignation, or otherwise. Till completion of five years of termination. Cannot participate in political activities.
On the other hand, the Official Secrets Amendment Bill was also sent to the President after approval by both Houses. The then Prime Minister of Law Nazir Tarar said that in this bill, the provision of arresting citizens without warrant by the intelligence agencies has been deleted.
