President Arif Alvi seeks removal of Secretary Waqar Ahmed

The President’s Secretariat announce that Secretary Waqar Ahmed’s services were no longer require. This decision came after President Dr. Arif Alvi’s denial of signing the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act on Sunday.

Arif Alvi seeks removal of Waqar Ahmed: On X, the President of Pakistan’s official account post a statement stating, “Due to the clear statement made yesterday, the President’s Secretariat has written a letter to the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, indicating that the services of Mr. Waqar Ahmed, Secretary to the President, are no longer necessary and are surrender to the Establishment Division with immediate effect.”

The statement proceeded to recommend the appointment of Ms. Humaira Ahmed, a BPS-22 officer within the Pakistan Administrative Service, as the secretary to the president.

Parliament passed the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill and the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill on Saturday. However, President Alvi stated on Sunday that he had not signed them due to his disagreement with these laws.

“As God is my witness,” Alvi wrote in a post on the social media site X, “I did not sign the Official Secrets Amendment Bill, 2023 and the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill, 2023 because I disagreed with these laws.”

The president said that in order to render the bills “ineffective,” he instructed his staff to return them unsigned within the allotted period.

“I repeatedly asked them if they had been return, and each time I received a positive response. But today I learned that my team had undercut my authority and command. Insha’Allah, Allah, who is all-knowing, will pardon. However, the president humbly begged pardon from those who would be affected, the remark being made.

According to news reports, President Arif Alvi signed the Pakistan Army Act (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill 2023 on August 19 [Saturday].

While the coalition government was in power, the parliament approved both legislations and submitted them to President Alvi for ratification.

newspaper notices

The Senate Secretariat released a gazette notification that announced the “deemed to have been assented by the president” status of the two laws a few hours after President Alvi’s speech.

The notification indicated that the president had purportedly approved the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023, as of August 17, and the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, as of August 11.

“Bills became law after the President did not object”

Caretaker Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam stated earlier in the day that if the president doesn’t accept or reject a measure within a 10-day period, it immediately becomes law.

The acting law minister asserted during a news conference in Islamabad that his ministry did not get the Official Secrets Act or the Pakistan Army Act from the Aiwan-e-Sadr (President’s House).

According to Ahmed Irfan Aslam, “President Alvi had the option to raise objections to the bills within the allotted timeframe but chose not to do so, resulting in the bills’ automatic enactment into law.”

He noted that the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill reached the president on August 8, while the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill arrived at the Presidential Palace on August 2.

There were just two options available to the president: approve the bills or send them back with reservations. There is no third choice, and if the bills are not returned, they immediately become law after 10 days, he continued.