President Alvi Removes Secretary Amid Insubordination Allegations
In a significant development, President Alvi has ousted his secretary over insubordination allegations. The President’s Secretariat stated that Secretary to President Waqar Ahmed’s services were “no longer required,” prompting the search for a replacement.
According to the details, an official statement on this matter was released and posted on the President of Pakistan’s official account on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
In view of the definite statement of yesterday, President’s Secretariat has written a letter to Principal Secretary to Prime Minister that the services of Mr. Waqar Ahmed, Secretary to President, are no more required and are surrendered to the Establishment Division, immediately.
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) August 21, 2023
The statement conveyed, “Considering the unequivocal statement made yesterday, the President’s Secretariat has communicated to the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister that the services of Mr. Waqar Ahmed, Secretary to President, are no longer required and are surrendered to the Establishment Division immediately.”
The statement added, “It has also been directed that Ms. Humaira Ahmed, a BPS-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, be appointed as Secretary to the President.”
On Sunday, President Alvi stirred controversy by asserting that he had not personally signed two controversial pieces of legislation – the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2023. This statement came a day after the parliament had passed these bills into law.
Both bills were approved by the Senate and National Assembly, then sent to the president for final approval, despite criticism from opposition lawmakers several weeks ago.
In a tweet on X, President Alvi shifted accountability to his staff, alleging that he had been misled by his presidential team. He stated that they failed to return the mentioned “unsigned” bills despite receiving multiple instructions to do so.
“I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill, 2023 and Pakistan Army Amendment Bill, 2023 as I disagreed with these laws,” President Alvi affirmed in his tweet, seeking forgiveness from those affected by the incident.
