Pakistan’s National Assembly on Tuesday passed a Bill to amend the Official Secrets Act, 1923. The Bill proposes up to three years in jail for anyone who discloses the identity of members of intelligence agencies, informants or sources, Dawn reported.
Dawn is a Pakistani English-language newspaper.
The Bill, titled 'Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023', was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi.
The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill says, “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 Dawn, the bill proposes adding Section 6-A (unauthorised disclosure of identities) to the act, under which “a person shall commit an offence who intentionally acting in any manner prejudicial to public order, safety, interests, or defence of Pakistan, or any part therefore, discloses in such a manner that exposes the identity of such undisclosed persons in any manner the identity of the members of intelligence agencies, informants or sources thereof”.
The Bill proposes imprisonment for a term of up to three years and a fine extending to Rs 10 million.
The Bill states further that any person who “abets, incites, conspires or attempts to commit the offence […] shall be liable to the same punishment”.
The Bill added an additional definition for “enemy” in Section 8-A, which would mean “any person who is directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally working for or engaged with the foreign power, foreign agent, non-state actor, organisation, entity, association or group guilty of a particular act tending to show a purpose that is prejudicial to the interest and safety of Pakistan”, according to Dawn.
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