Supreme Court Issues Ruling on Imran Khan’s Petition Against Official Secrets Act and Army Act Amendments

Islamabad:The Supreme Court of Pakistan has dismissed the objections raised against the petition filed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan challenging the amendments to the Official Secrets Act and Army Act, allowing the petition to be formally registered.

A five-member constitutional bench, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, directed the Registrar Office to allocate a case number to Imran Khan’s petition and sought arguments on whether the petition is admissible.

During the court proceedings, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Shoaib Shaheen, explained that the amendments to the Official Secrets Act and Army Act violate the rights of the people, which is why they approached the Supreme Court instead of the High Court.

Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar commented that the Supreme Court, under Article 184(3), has discretion in hearing petitions against laws, and that if direct petitions are accepted without following the process, it could render Article 199 ineffective.

Shoaib Shaheen argued that only the court, not the Registrar, can make a decision on this matter. The court then postponed the hearing indefinitely while requesting further arguments regarding the petition’s admissibility.

It is noteworthy that in August 2023, a gazette notification was issued for amendments to the Army Act and Official Secrets Act. However, President Arif Alvi had previously stated that he did not sign these bills, as he disagreed with the amendments. President Alvi later revealed that his staff did not comply with his instructions to return the bills.