Pakistani President Arif Alvi said on Sunday that he has not approved the Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 and the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 because he "disagrees" with the law, adding that His officers "weakened his will and orders".
This comes after Pakistani media reported on Saturday that Arif Alvi had agreed to let the bills become law in parliament.
In a message on X, Pakistani President Arif Alvi said he had instructed his staff to return unsigned invoices within the allotted time, rendering them invalid. However, he said, his staff "weakened his will".
“God willing, I did not sign the Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 and the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 because I disagreed with these laws. I have instructed my employees to return unsigned invoices within the allotted time so that they are no longer valid. I have confirmed many times that they have been returned and I am assured that they have been returned. However, I found out today that my employees have undermined my will and orders," he wrote on X.
On Saturday, Dawn, a Pakistani media outlet, reported that the president approved the bills after they were sent to him after being passed by the Senate and Parliament.
Pakistan Army Law is generally applied to active-duty officers who are tried through the organization's internal system of investigation, trial, and punishment, in which an officer, if found guilty, will be dismissed by the military court and discharged. The Official Secrets Act and its provisions deal with sedition, espionage, and espionage, the punishment of which also includes the death penalty.
According to The Tribune, the Public Service Secrecy (amended) Bill proposes that if someone knowingly disrupts public order or opposes the government, they will be charged with a crime.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill of 2023 stipulates that military officials cannot participate in politics for two years after being discharged from the army, The Tribune reported. Important officials must wait five years after being discharged from the army before they can enter politics.
