A solicitation has been filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding the issue of President Arif Alvi’s signing or not subscribing the Official Secrets( Correction) Bill, 2023, and the Pakistan Army Act( Amendment) Bill, 2023.
The solicitation, filed by Advocate Zulfiqar Bhutta, seeks an inquiry into the matter and has named the civil government as the replier. President Arif Alvi had preliminarily stated that he didn’t subscribe the Official Secrets( Correction) Bill, 2023, and the Pakistan Army Act( Amendment) Bill, 2023, leading to questions about the validity and procedural correctness of these laws.
The supplicant has requested the court to order the government to communicate the Supreme Court within 10 days and has also sought a restraining order against the enforcement of the two laws until the case is resolved. The supplicant stated that questions are being raised about the legislation in light of the President’s statement, and the people’s rights are directly related to the Official Secrets Act and Pakistan Army Act.
This solicitation comes after another solicitation challenging the two laws was filed in the Lahore High Court by Advocate Mohammad Muqsit Saleem. In that plea, it was argued that the Official Secrets Amendment Act wasn’t passed in agreement with proper legislative procedure, and the aspirant requested the court to suspend it until a final decision is reached.