A recent statement issued by the President Dr Arif Alvi on social media platform X, formerly known as twitter has ignited another crisis during which the President swore that he did not sign the Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 because he disagreed with those legislations. According to the President he advised his staff to return the bills unsigned within stipulated time to make them ineffective. Dr. Alvi further said that he confirmed from his staff many times whether proposed law drafts have been returned and Presidency staff assured him that. According to the President he later found that his staff undermined his will and command. Dr. Alvi assured the public of his helplessness by saying that Allah knows all and will forgive, but he asks forgiveness from those who will be affected.
The President’s revelation about an important and highly controversial issue at the social media platform has sent shockwaves across the socio-political spectrum in the country and arised countless questions regarding the state of governmental affairs, the political conspiracies that are being hatched in the power corridors, and their legal, constitutional, and socio-political effects on the country. President’s open message ran a high voltage current in the caretaker government, and compelled the Law Minister and information Minister to put forward their official stance before the nation about the issue. According to the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Presidency has returned over a dozen bills for parliament’s reconsideration without signing them in the last week but those particular two bills, the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill 2023 and Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2023 were not included in them. The Law Minister asserted that nothing available in the constitution to return the bills without signature or without recommendation or amendments. The Law Minister expressed serious concerns over the manner the Presidency dealt with two particular legislation, whose example could not be found in the country’s history.
Realistically, the conduct of the President Dr Arif Alvi as well as the caretaker setup was not officially mandated and inline with the constitution. The President should first officially highlight the issue with the government by ordering or suggesting the government to initiate an inquiry into the matter to ascertain the facts before announcing this corrigendum on social media. Meanwhile, cursing the government officials for delinquency or declaring gross violation a decree of the God had not ever been a legacy of the top public representative nor it well aligned with the prestige and decorum of the office of the President. Similarly, the caretaker government has not so far officially ordered an inquiry to digout facts behind this fiasco that could lead to another constitutional and political crisis at a later stage any time in the future. Historically, Pakistani leaders and civic groups had always made mockery of the constitution and bargained national prestige and interests to secure their politics, to retain or attain high positions or achieve their political agenda throughout the past. Hence, the prevailing political quandary is another manifestation of short sightedness and astigmatism of our leaders, who failed to rule the country through political wisdom and often seek assistance from judiciary or from military junta to create a level playing field for them in national politics.
In fact, the state of Pakistan has been plunged into an unceasing political tussle, an antagonism and strange personal rivalry of politicians that sensitive state affairs became tools for the leaders to achieve their political manifesto by twisting, tempering and forging national laws and using official portfolios for personal or political use. A chaos prevails everywhere, a new political drama begins after one comes to an end in the country. The foreign enemies both in the East and the West and their touts within the country are currently celebrating the political unrest, economic depletion and moral decayness of the Pakistani nation.
Undoubtedly, All state organs failed in the performance of their official obligations because of political interference, and biases of the bureaucrats. Presently, all eyes are set on the Supreme Court to rescue the nation out of the current predicament. The current situation merits extreme care and a meticulous response from the caretaker government and other state institutions including judiciary to thoroughly investigate the issue, identify loopholes in the system, alongwith the recognition of the wrongdoers whatsoever who is. All stakeholders should rely on the supreme court, while the Apex court must conclude all facts and fiction through a comprehensive inquiry by an independent powerful judicial commission. So, the nation could be aware of the dereliction of the government servants as well as dilapidation of its politicians, and no transgressor could ever dare a malefaction with the nation in the future.
