Official secrets bill sails through Senate after govt accepts changes

The upper house of parliament on Sunday green-lighted the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill 2023 by a majority vote, days after the bill drew strong opposition from the senators and was referred to the standing committee.

Earlier this week, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government got the bill adopted by the National Assembly in a bid to empower intelligence agencies to raid and detain any citizen, even under suspicion of them breaching the law.

The bill also sought a penalty on a citizen with a prison term of three years for disclosing the “identity of the members of the intelligence agencies or the informants or sources”.

Subsequently, the bill was presented in Senate which was referred to the standing committee by the upper house of parliament's chairman Sadiq Sanjrani after fierce opposition from lawmakers.

Earlier today, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar tabled the bill in the Senate again and informed the parliamentarians that the government withdrew the provision to empower intelligence agencies to carry out raids or make arrests without warrants.

“The objection has been removed.. the arrest without warrant clause has been withdrawn,” the minister added.

He said the objections raised over some words have also been removed from the bill.

The bill

The statement of objects and reasons of the bill says that it is imperative to amend the Official Secrets Act 1923 and make it more effective in view of the changing social milieu to ensure the safety and security of official documents.

According to a new insertion 2(A) in Section 11 of the Official Secrets Act 1923, notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or in any other law for the time being in future, the intelligence agencies, may at any time, can enter and search a place or a person without warrant, and if necessary, by use of force and seize any document, sketch, plan, model, article, note, weapon, ammunition, electronic or modern device or anything of like nature, or anything which is or can be evidence of any offence committed, or suspecting of been committed under this Act.

Another insertion 12A says that under this Act, the investigation officer shall be an officer of the FIA not below the rank of BPS-17 or equivalent, and he shall be designated by the FIA director general. If the DG deems necessary, he may appoint a Joint Investigation Team consisting of officers of intelligence agencies as he may appoint.

The JIT, according to the bill, will complete its inquiry within 30 days. The case, if relates to civil espionage, will be investigated by the FIA or JIT.

However, according to an amendment in Clause b of Section 12, the punishment for an offence has been reduced from 14 to 10 years. The amendment clause says other than an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years, shall be a cognisable and bailable offence.