One would have anticipated that the fervour that has recently gripped Pakistani politics would finally start to subside with the caretakers settling in. Instead, it looks that because of ongoing power conflicts at the top levels of the state, we could be in for another round of febrile instability.
When the president claimed on Sunday that he had never signed two divisive legislation intended to modify the Army Act and the Official Secrets Act, he ignited a significant crisis. These amendments had been [announced][2] as having been passed into law just one day before. The president’s shocking revelation caused a commotion, with analysts and observers offering wildly divergent perspectives on its consequences. The country was mocked internationally for its recent absurd administration, despite the interim government’s best efforts to deflect blame.
It is obvious that there had been a problem at the presidency. When this publication endeavoured to confirm which of the dozens of laws enacted by the 15th National Assembly in its final days had truly received President Arif Alvi’s approval, the Aiwan-i-Sadr continually obstructed it. Who was trying to keep this information hidden from the public is unknown, but the president’s own statement seems to imply that he was also kept in the dark. Why? Legal experts have suggested that because the president never granted his assent, the two bills can no longer be considered to have been enacted. Why then did Mr. Alvi adopt such a murky stance on the subject in his post? The two statutes’ respective legal standing is still up for question. Even if the caretaker administration and a number of PML-N politicians have hastened to defend their legislation, the real issue at hand is how the Constitution should be properly interpreted in this situation. The two statutes, as revised, cannot be put into effect until this issue has been settled and the judiciary has rendered a decision.
An impartial investigation of this problem is required. It must be determined and prosecuted if anyone attempted to guarantee that these two bills were passed regardless of the president’s real opinion of them. The President’s Secretariat recently requested that his secretary be replaced. This is insufficient. The legislative process must be undermined, and everyone accountable must receive severe punishment. President Alvi has a duty to reestablish trust if he honestly believes he was misled.
Many people have also been very perplexed as to why President Alvi felt the need to apologise for the two laws as though their execution was inescapable. Had he conceded that they were a done deal?
