Pakistan President Alvi sacks his secretary amid controversy over signing of two key bills

Pakistan President Arif Alvi sacked his secretary on Monday, a day after he said he did not personally sign two key bills and had instructed his staff to return them unsigned within the stipulated time to make them ineffective.

President Alvi on Sunday denied that he signed the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023 after the local media reported that the president had signed the two bills that became laws.

The President’s Secretariat said in a statement that Alvi asked for the replacement of Secretary Waqar Ahmed whose services were “no more required”.

“In view of the definite statement of yesterday, President’s Secretariat has written a letter to Principal Secretary to Prime Minister that the services of Mr Waqar Ahmed, Secretary to President, are no more required and are surrendered to the Establishment Division, immediately,” the statement said.

The president also asked that Humaira Ahmed, a BPS-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, may be posted as Secretary to the President, read the statement.

The removal of Waqar comes a day after President Alvi said posted on X: 'I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill, 2023 and Pakistan Army Amendment Bill, 2023 as I disagreed with these laws'.

'I asked my staff to return the bills unsigned within the stipulated time to make them ineffective. I confirmed from them many times whether they have been returned & was assured that they were. However, I have found out today that my staff undermined my will and command. As Allah knows all, He will forgive IA (InshaAllah). But I ask forgiveness...,” said Alvi, who is from jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

The unprecedented claims by the president caused a furore with many seeking action.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Babar Awan in a video message requested Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to take suo moto action.

He said that the president of the country was the head of state, a part of Parliament and the supreme commander of the armed forces while the country’s agreements were also made using his name.

“A very serious crime has taken place,” he said, adding that this amounted to “constitutional insubordination” which would fall under Article 6 (high treason).

Pakistan's former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a close aide of jailed former prime minister Khan, was arrested from his home in Islamabad on Sunday here under the Official Secrets Act in connection with the leakage of a confidential diplomatic cable.

The Pakistan government on Monday established a special court to hear cases filed under the Official Secrets Act and Qureshi was presented before it for the hearing of the cipher case registered against him under the stringent law.