Islamabad, 21 Aug, 2023 (GNP): The Interim Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam and Information Minister Murtaza Solangi in a joint press conference, held after President Arif Alvi constructed shocking claims regarding two newly embraced laws, rejected the president’s statement that he was uninformed whether the bills had been returned or not.
The two interim ministers have given their legal and constitutional stances on both the Army Act and Official Secrets Act comprehensively on Sunday.
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Meanwhile, the law minister stated that the government had not gotten one or the two bills from the presidential administration, although both turned into laws now.
“Under Article 75 of the Constitution, the president only has two options: either to sign a bill or reject it; in case of rejection, he has to give reasons for returning the bills unsigned.”
Aslam further noted that if the president does not make use of any of the two choices, a bill becomes law after ten days.
Moreover, he said that the president had not availed any of those alternatives and retained the bills pending at the Presidency, which indicated that the bills inevitably became laws after passing the 10 days.
Furthermore, the minister remarked that the president had taken one of the two options in the past, but there was no example of stopping any of the bills and having no signature on them for ten days.
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Additionally, Information Minister Solangi, while responding to a query, dismissed any action against the honorable president. “The sanctity and respect of the president’s office do not allow us to make any such move. No action can be taken against him till he is in his office,” Solangi added.
“Returning the bills without any observations or assent is not provided for in the Constitution. Such a course of action is against the letter and spirit of the Constitution,” the law minister added.
He also elucidated that the press conference had been conducted to clear away vagueness generated by the statements of the president.
