By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s parliament on Tuesday passed a bill to amend the century-old Official Secrets Act, giving sweeping powers to intelligence agencies to raid and detain citizens suspected of espionage.
The bill, which amends the Official Secrets Act 1923, was approved by the National Assembly on Tuesday amid protests from some opposition members who said they had not been given copies of the proposed legislation.
Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani ignored the protest from some members and continued with legislative business, while directing his staff to provide copies of the bill to members.
The outgoing government tabled the bill in a supplementary agenda on a private members’ day.
The bill seeks to broaden the definitions of military installations, documents, and enemies, and bring digital and modern means of communication under the ambit of the law.
Experts say this could affect vloggers and bloggers as well as anyone who unintentionally contacts a foreign agent or visits a prohibited area.
It also empowers the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to enter and search any person or place without a warrant and seize any evidence of an offence under the act.
It also makes it a crime to disclose the identity of intelligence agents or informants, or to visit the address of a foreign agent within or outside Pakistan.
The bill also empowers the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the officials of intelligence agencies to investigate suspects for violation of the Official Secrets Act.
The bill also proposes a prison term of three years for disclosing the identity of members of intelligence agencies or their informants or sources.
The bill has drawn criticism from experts who say it violates the principles of natural justice and could be used to target journalists, bloggers, vloggers, and activists.
Critics say the bill is against the principles of natural justice and human rights, and could be used to suppress dissent and freedom of expression.
The bill will now be sent to the Senate for approval before it becomes law.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
