ISLAMABAD  -  The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have demand­ed of President Arif Alvi to resign after he denied signing two crucial bills - Pakistan Army (Amend­ment) Bill, 2023 and the Official Secrets Act 2023.

The President earlier said in a social media state­ment that he had asked his staff to return the bills unsigned within stipulated time to make them in­ effective. PPP Vice President Sena­tor Sherry Rehman said President Al­vi’s explanation was a question mark on his ability to assume the presiden­cy. “Does he want to say that some­one else signs the Bills under his nose. If this is the case then the President should immediately resign from the post,” Sherry Rehman said. She add­ed: “If your staff doesn’t do what you say, you should step down as Presi­dent. In the PTI-led government, you (President Alvi) continued to run President’s House as an ordinance fac­tory.” “President Arif Alvi is no longer eligible to hold the constitutional of­fice of President after his explanato­ry statement about Bill Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as he dis­agreed with these lawsm,” she con­tended. PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari demanded a medical examination of President Arif Alvi af­ter the social media statement. “Presi­dent Arif Alvi’s statement is a question mark on his mental condition. Arif Alvi has committed a heinous conspir­acy by playing the role of a PTI worker and Imran Khan’s personal employee,” he added. He said Alvi’s accusations against his staff were not worthy of the office of President. “President Arif Alvi’s explanation is the biggest joke of the century. Arif Alvi’s statement is a lie,” he remarked. Commenting on the situation, PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi said President Arif Alvi’s recent statement was proof of his “incompe­tence.” “If Arif Alvi has moral courage, he should resign. Arif Alvi has done the same thing as Imran Khan made Pa­kistan a laughing stock in the world,” he maintained. He claimed that Presi­dent Arif Alvi first signed the Bills and then deviated from it and following the U-turn policy of his party leader. In a post on X, PML-N leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar termed Al­vi’s statement “unbelievable”, calling for his resignation.