ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (APP) – President Arif Alvi stated on Sunday that he did not sign the Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 and the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 because he disagreed with them.
On the social media network X, formerly known as Twitter, the president stated that he instructed his staff to return the bills unsigned within the time frame specified in order to render them ineffectual.
“I asked them several times whether they had been returned and was promised that they had. “However, I discovered today that my staff undermined my will and command,” the president said.
“As Allah knows all, He will forgive IA,” he added. But I beg pardon from those who will be affected.”
The Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was enacted by the National Assembly on July 31, with the goal of punishing individuals with a maximum five-year prison term for leaking sensitive information about national security or the armed services.
Separately, the Lower House approved the Official Secrets Act two days before the National Assembly’s dissolution on August 7.
