<\/p>\n
President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday said he \u201cstands by\u201d his claim that he did not assent to the amendments to the Official Secrets Act and the Pakistan Army Act.<\/p>\n
The president had triggered a massive controversy in August when he claimed<\/a> in a post<\/a> on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that he had not assented to the controversial bills \u2014 a day after they were deemed<\/a> to have become acts of parliament.<\/p>\n \u201cAs God is my witness, I did not sign Official Sec\u00adrets Amendment Bill, 2023 and Pakistan Army Ame\u00adndment Bill, 2023 as I disagreed with these laws,\u201d the president had said.<\/p>\n He had also claimed that he had asked his staff to return the bills unsigned within the stipulated time to make them \u201cineffective\u201d, but his staff did not do so and lied that the bills had been returned.<\/p>\n A day after the tweet, the president had sought to replace<\/a> his principal secretary, Waqar Ahmed, who had denied any wrongdoing. However, senior bureaucrats in the presidency had refused to take up Ahmed\u2019s position in what was described as a \u201crevolt-like situation<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n It must be noted that the Army Act amendment paved the way for the punishment of up to five-year rigorous imprisonment to any person guilty of disclosing any information, acquired in an official capacity that is or may be prejudicial to the security and interest of Pakistan or the armed forces.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the amendment to the Official Secrets Act created a new offence of unauthorised disclosure of the identities of members of intelligence agencies, informants or sources. Earlier this week, a special court established under the same act indicted<\/a> PTI chief Imran Khan in the cipher case.<\/p>\n During an interview on Geo News<\/em> programme \u2018Capital Talk\u2019 today, host Hamid Mir asked Alvi a question pertaining to PS Ahmed\u2019s stance.<\/p>\n \u201cI tweeted what happened and I stand by it. When I removed the principal secretary, I had written that I stand by my statement,\u201d the president replied, adding that no inquiry was conducted into the matter.<\/p>\n Alvi said that he had formed a judgement based on daily matters and subsequently wrote to the principal secretary. He stated that he had also sent a letter to the establishment and government regarding the same, saying that he stood by his statement.<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever it is seen, it will be very clear,\u201d he added, without elaborating further.<\/p>\n In response to a question regarding the elections amendment bill \u2014 that grants the caretaker government powers to take actions or decisions regarding existing bilateral or multilateral agreements and projects \u2014 the president noted that he was out of the country for Haj when the law was assented to.<\/p>\n \u201cThe acting president (Sadiq Sanjrani) had already signed that amendment,\u201d he recalled. \u201cIf I was in the President\u2019s House [at that time], I would not have signed the law.\u201d<\/p>\n During the interview, President Alvi was asked about PTI defections after the May 9 riots<\/a> \u2014 when violent protests occurred countrywide following Imran\u2019s first arrest.<\/p>\n \u201cI am extremely disappointed. A lot of people I know are going through this. I am saying once again very emphatically that I have been associated with PTI for years.<\/p>\n \u201cI have always found Imran financially honest. There are very few people who will accuse him of financial dishonesty [\u2026] I believe that he is a patriot, I have no doubt about it, ever,\u201d Alvi said.<\/p>\n He recalled that he had condemned the May 9 incident but at the same time wanted the way forward to be \u201copen\u201d.<\/p>\n In response to a question on reports of Imran\u2019s alleged displeasure with Alvi, the president said the PTI chief \u201ckeeps an eye on me\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was on Haj, someone told him that I was taking 27 government employees with me. He sent a message to me through someone [asking] \u2018what is going on\u2019. But I went with my wife and kids at our own expense. But he keeps an eye on me as a friend and well-wisher.\u201d<\/p>\n Alvi professed his loyalty for Imran, saying: \u201cEven today, he is my leader.\u201d When asked again, he reaffirmed it.<\/p>\n At one point, he also alluded to the caretaker government being behind the spate of defections from the PTI. \u201cWhatever the caretaker government is doing \u2014 what with people disappearing and reappearing with shifted loyalties,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\u2018Imran is a patriot\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Don\u2019t see elections in January\u2019<\/h2>\n