Pakistan’s has sunk deeper into political and constitutional crisis after one of the most shocking revelations by an elected head of state any where in the word, saying he did not sign a controversial law that was rubber-stamped by the government of Shahbaz Sharif through a disputed parliamentary vote days before it dissolved the National Assembly.
As God is my witness, I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as I disagreed with these laws. I asked my staff to return the bills unsigned within stipulated time to make them ineffective. I confirmed from them many times that…
— Dr. Arif Alvi (@ArifAlvi) August 20, 2023
The amendments in the secrets act have broadened the definitions of military installations and brought digital and modern means of communication into the law’s ambit. According to experts, this could bring vloggers and bloggers within the ambit of the law as well, Dawn reported hours after President Alvi’s shocking Tweet.
One of Pakistan’s senior journalists and author Imtiaz Gul dissects the new tumult in Pakistan’s murky politics.