ISLAMABAD – First special court has been established under the recently amended Official Secrets Act in the capital city of Islamabad.
An anti-terrorism court judge in the federal capital, Judge Abul Hasanat has been given the additional charge to hear the case registered under the Official Secrets Act.
Reports said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, who was arrested on Saturday and later booked under the Official Secrets Act in a cipher-related probe, would be produced before the special court.
The National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan approved the amendment bill regarding the secrets act during the tenure of the outgoing coalition government.
The bill was later sent to President Arif Alvi for approval and it was signed into law last week. However, a Pandora box opened after the president on Sunday denied approving changes to the Official Secrets Act and the Pakistan Army Act.
However, the law ministry, functioning under a caretaker setup, rebuked his statement and asked him to “take responsibility for his own actions”.
In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) around 2pm, Alvi said: “As God is my witness, I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill, 2023 and Pakistan Army Amendment Bill, 2023 as I disagreed with these laws.”
The president said he asked his staff to return the bills unsigned within the stipulated time to make them “uneffective”.
“I confirmed from them many times that whether they have been returned and 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 Insha’Allah. But I ask forgiveness from those who will be affected,” the president said.
