ISLAMABAD  -  Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Thursday strongly condemned the proposed amendments in the Of­ficial Secrets Act, 1923, and demanded from the government to immediately withdraw them.

In this regard, PBC Vice-Chairman Haroon-ur-Rashid and Chairman Executive Committee of the Council Hassan Raza Pasha in a joint statement said that the proposed amendments in the “Offi­cial Secrets Act, 1923”, wherein intelligence/se­cret agencies are granted blanket powers to raid and detain any citizen, or enter/search any per­son in any place, without obtaining search war­rant from any court of law, even under suspicion of them breaching the law, which is unethical and against the norms & justice as well as violation of articles 8, 9 & 10 of the Constitution.

They expressed concerns and expected from the Standing Committee of the Senate to reject the proposed amendments in the Act. They fur­ther demanded from the government to immedi­ately withdraw this move i.e. “The Official Secrets Act Amendment Bill 2023” and said that the legal fraternity always struggled for supremacy of the Constitution and rule of law in the country and any such move will be opposed by tooth and nail.