President’s ex-secretary says not involved in misconduct, seeks inquiry  

ISLAMABAD: Waqar Ahmed, the former secretary of President Arif Alvi, has penned a letter asserting that he was not involved in any misconduct and that the amended bills related to the Army Act and Official Secrets Act are still with the President’s Chamber.

In a letter addressed to President Alvi, Waqar Ahmed expressed his desire to bring the facts to light, stating that “his removal had created the false perception of his involvement in irregularities, which is not the case in reality.”

He has formally requested President Alvi to initiate an inquiry into the matter by either the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or any relevant investigative authority. “The facts are clear – neither was there any delay in sending the bills nor was I responsible for any misconduct or negligence,” Ahmed stated.

In the letter, Waqar Ahmed said, “The reality is that the file of the bills is still present in the President’s Chamber and has not yet been returned to the secretary’s office.”

Furthermore, he mentioned, “If the Supreme Court or any court summons the bills, I will present all records, unveiling the facts. The president himself is well aware of the facts regarding both bills; he neither signed them and nor sent them back.”

Waqar Ahmed wrote that he was unjustly scapegoated, and he urged President Alvi to reconsider his decision in light of the false allegations against him.

Previously, amid controversy over the amended bills for the Army Act and Official Secrets Act, President Alvi had written a letter to Establishment Division, to take back services of Waqar Ahmed from the President’s Office.

Earlier, the president wrote to the principal secretary to the prime minister, stating that the services of Waqar Ahmed as the secretary to the president were no longer required, and his services should be returned to the Establishment Division.

President Alvi: I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill

The president had sought to appoint Humaira Ahmed, a Grade 22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, as the new secretary to the president.

In his statement on Sunday, President Alvi had refuted the signing of the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2023, stating that his staff had acted improperly.

In a tweet, he had said, “Allah is my witness that I did not sign them.”

He had further explained that since he did not agree with the laws, he had directed his staff not to send them back to parliament during the stipulated time frame to render them “ineffective”.