After Senate, NA passes Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill 2023

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday passed Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill 2023 with a majority vote, a day after Senate green-lighted the legislation by removing a key provision, ARY News reported.

According to details, the official secrets bill was re-tabled in the National Assembly after the legislation sailed through the lower house of parliament last week but failed to get Senate’s nod due to ‘controversial clauses’.

Later, the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill 2023 was referred to the upper house’s standing committee.

Subsequently, Senate on Sunday passed the legislation after the government made changes to the bill, removing a clause granting intelligence agencies powers to carry out raids or make arrests without warrants.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, while tabling the bill in the Senate, informed the senators that the government withdrew the provision to grant intelligence agencies powers to conduct warrantless searches.

He also emphasised that the revised legislation empowered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate individuals suspected of violating the Official Secrets Act.

He further said that certain words on which the members had raised objections had also been removed.

More bills passed

In the same session, the National Assembly also passed several other legislations including PIA Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Higher Education Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

Speaking on the NA floor, Azam Nazeer Tarar said detailed discussions were held on the Higher Education Commission Bill in the Senate session.

He said the secretary education will represent the areas where is no provincial Higher Education Commission (HEC). “One expert from each of the four provinces will also be its member,” the minister added

Federal Urdu University Arts Sciences, Technology (Amendment) Bill 2023, National Commission for Minorities Bill 2023, Federal Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Price Control and Prevention of Unjustified Profiteering Amendment Bill, 2023 were also passed by the lower house.