PML-N running propaganda against judiciary: Fawad

Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry said on Tuesday that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is engaged in a propaganda campaign against the judiciary in an attempt to make its role controversial.

“PML-N has a dedicated team to create fake videos," he said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad after the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"I don’t think any other political party has done this in the past,” the minister said in reference to an audio clip circulating on social media allegedly claiming that the former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar gave orders on someone's directions to keep Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz behind bars.

The minister said that the government will fulfil its role if any direction comes from the courts on the issue.

Former CJP Saqib Nisar terms leaked audio clip 'fake'

CJP Nisar has termed the audio clip of a conversation attributed to him pertaining to Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz as fake.

In the short clip, not verified by Business Recorder, a voice, allegedly of former CJP Nisar, is heard talking to an unidentified person, saying that Nawaz and Maryam should be punished in order to make space for Imran Khan to come into power.

The leaked audio comes following ex-chief justice Gilgit-Baltistan Rana Shamim's statement that Nisar influenced judicial proceedings to prolong the detention of Nawaz and his daughter following their conviction in the Avenfield apartments reference.

As per the affidavit, Shamim claimed that Nisar had travelled to GB for vacations in 2018 and on one occasion appeared “very disturbed” while speaking to his registrar on the phone, asking him to get in touch with a high court judge.

Shamim said that Nisar was finally able to get in touch with the judge and told him that Nawaz and Maryam must remain in jail until elections are over, after which “he became calm and happily demanded another cup of tea”.

Leaked ‘audiotape of former CJP’: Nawaz, Maryam targeted to keep them out of political process: Shehbaz

According to the document, Shamim said he told Nisar that Nawaz had been falsely implicated, to which the former CJP replied, “Rana Sahib the chemistry of Punjab is different from GB."

These claims of Shamim were also rejected by Nisar. He, on telephone, told media persons that the accusations levelled against him were “contrary to the facts”; therefore, he did not want to respond to the “plain lies” of the ex-GB chief justice.

The ex-CJP said Shamim had asked him for an extension but he did not accept his request, adding that the ex-GB CJ had also complained to him about the same.