ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: The president has amended the Official Secret Act, transferring the siege and search powers under the law to first class magistrates in place of the extinct sub- divisional magistrates.

The amendments have been made in section 11 and 13 of the Official Secret Act, 1923. The amendments have been made to reconcile the Act with the existing legal structure after the separation of judiciary from the executive.

The amendments would not be effective in Islamabad as the office of deputy commissioner has not yet been abolished for the local government laws, introduced by the military government, have not been introduced in the federal capital.

The section 11 of the Act, which deals with the search of any premises, has been amended to provide that wherever the word, sub-divisional magistrate appears, it should be substituted with the word, first class magistrates.

The section 13 provides that no court, inferior to first class magistrate would be competent to try any offence under the Act.