Arif Alvi did not return bills to us: Caretaker govt
Article 75 does not provide for any third option: Ahmad Irfan Aslam.
Social media for invoking Article 6 after President Alvi claims his staff defied him,
ISLAMABAD – Caretaker Law Minister Ahmad Irfan Aslam on Sunday said that Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023 were not received from the President’s House.
Addressing a press conference, the law minister said: “The president thought he returned the bills.” The amendment bills, in fact, were not received by the law ministry from the president, he added.
“A bill will become law, in case it is not signed by the president within 10 days as it will be deemed to have been granted his assent,” he added.
Caretaker Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam says Article-75 of the Constitution is very clear that the President can either sign a bill or return it to Parliament with any amendments within ten days and if he doesn’t do so, the bill becomes a law under the Constitution.
He said President’s tweets are regarding the Pakistan Army Act (Amendment) Bill that reached him for his assent on the 2nd of this month and Official Secrets Act that reached his office on the 8th of this month.
The caretaker law minister said it has never happened before that President returned any bill without his signature.
He said there is nothing available in the Constitution to return the bills without signature or without recommendation or amendments.
Speaking on the occasion, the caretaker information minister said there should be no ambiguity on the matter after the clarification of the Law Ministry.
He said caretaker government’s mandate is limited to holding free and fair election instead of any political ambitions.
Murtaza Solangi said President being head of the federation is held in high esteem and is respectable to us.
Soon after President Dr Arif Alvi denied giving assent to the Official Secrets (amendment) 2023 bill and the Pakistan Army Act (amendment) 2023 bill, ‘Article 6’ became one the top hashtags on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Several commentators on the social media platform called for invoking Article 6 of the Constitution against those who allegedly forged the president’s signature to give assent to the bills.
Earlier, President Alvi said in a statement that he never agreed to the contents of amendments and did not sign the bills. He had instructed his staff to send the two laws back to the Parliament, he added.
He claimed that his staff defied him, flouting his instructions about sending the two pieces of legislation back to the Parliament.
Fawad Ahmad Khan, a commentator called the statement a significant revelation, while urging the immediate removal and arrest of the suspects and the initiation of action under Article 6.
“A significant revelation has surfaced, leaving no room for delay in the immediate removal and arrest of the traitors, and the initiation of action under Article 6,” he wrote on X.
