ISLAMABAD: The President’s Secretariat informed the principal secretary to the prime minister on Monday that the services of the serving secretary to the president were no longer required, just one day after President Dr. Arif Alvi’s shocking revelation about the signing of the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill.
According to a statement released by the President’s Secretariat, “the services of Mr Waqar Ahmed, Secretary to the President, are no more required and are surrendered to the Establishment Division, immediately.”
Also, “it has been desired that Ms. Humaira Ahmed, a BPS-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, may be posted as Secretary to the President,” the document said.
On Sunday, President Alvi caused a commotion by saying he had not signed the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill or the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill and blaming the mix-up on his staff. The country was thrown into pandemonium as a result of this news.
The president denied endorsing the two legislation in a social media post. He conceded, however, that his office missed the deadline set by Article 75 of the Constitution for returning the legislation to the legislature by 10 days.
He claimed that his employees had lied to him and undermined his authority by covering up the fact that the bills had not been paid.
Alvi said he found out on Sunday that the invoices weren’t returned within the allotted period, despite his repeated assurances from his staff that everything was taken care of.
Waqar Ahmed wrote a letter to the president explaining the situation with the two bills and requesting that the president rescind his earlier order to have the secretary’s services returned to the Establishment Division. This was shortly after the president had announced that he no longer required the services of his secretary.
Ahmed suggested in his letter that the matter be looked into by the Federal investigating Agency (FIA) or another investigating agency in order to determine which authorities, if any, were at fault.
Ahmed wrote that he had received the army and secrets legislation on August 2 and August 8, and that he had forwarded them to the president along with the relevant file, diary number, and a note detailing the relevant deadlines of August 11 and August 17, respectively.
Ahmed stated that the measures remained in the president’s office until August 21 and that the president had not approved or otherwise instructed the return of either bill to parliament in writing.
Ahmed claimed he had done nothing wrong and that the president’s decision to send him back to the Establishment Division was unwarranted.
He added that the president was aware that he had not made any mistake and that he could submit the record to show his innocence if any court called him.
You already know everything there is to know about the two bills I mentioned, and you also know that I am not to blame for the bills’ delays or for trying to discredit the Honorable President’s position in government. “I am willing to testify under oath.”
The caretaker government had defended the laws’ passage, stating that they were legally enacted once the 10-day window for presidential assent had passed.
Interim Law Minister Ahmad Irfan Aslam and Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi held a press conference on Monday, immediately after President Arif Alvi denied signing the two major bills into law.
Aslam said at a press conference that the legislation were automatically signed into law because “the president had the option to raise objections to the bills within the stipulated timeframe but he chose not to.”
He revealed that the Presidency received the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill on August 8 and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill on August 2.
After receiving the bills, the president may only accept them or send them back with concerns. There is no other recourse, and the legislation will automatically become law after 10 days if they are not returned, he said.
