Shehbaz Sharif clarifies amendments to Official Secrets Act

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has clarified that amendments to the Official Secrets Act were intended to safeguard the lives of intelligence officials rather than target any specific political party.

Speaking to the media, Sharif said that the amendments aimed to protect security officials who were involved in anti-terrorism operations, without imposing restrictions on civil liberties.

He also said that that he did not hold a personal vendetta against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) Chief, but he criticised him for mistreating political rivals during his time in power.

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“We were treated badly and the jail manual was violated when Khan was PM. We were terribly victimised. But we don’t believe in seeking revenge. Relevant institutions, courts, and the rule of law would follow their own course in addressing Khan’s legal matters,” Shehbaz Sharif told the media.

Meanwhile, addressing a controversial cable sent by the former US ambassador Asad Majeed Khan, Sharif said that his predecessor “twisted facts”. He said that the cipher did not contain any conspiracy to topple the PTI government or bring the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition into power.

Furthermore, commenting on the potential ban of the PTI, Sharif noted that the decision rests with the court. He personally expressed that he would not prefer any political party to face a ban.