EDITORIAL: Audio leaks are increasingly being used as a tool by certain powerful quarters to play politics. During the recent days, two new audio tapes have emerged of purported conversations to malign the apex court hearing a suo motu case regarding inordinate delay in elections to the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.
In one clip of telephonic chat between mother-in-law of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and the wife of a PTI politician, Tariq Raheem, exchange views on the political situation - as many private citizens do in the prevailing state of affairs.
In the other Raheem, who is also a prominent lawyer, and Saqib Nisar, an ex-CJP, discuss legal points pertaining to the case pending before the top court. Nothing in their conversation suggests any connection with the honourable members of the bench. According to reports, they talked over WhatsApp which is protected by encryption, yet it was taped.
Recording of private conversations is a grave violation of the fundamental rights of citizens. Article 14 of the Constitution says the dignity of man and the privacy of home is an inviolable right.
Unfortunately those in government, including Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, have hailed the video leaks as ‘proof’ of judicial bias against their leadership. They fail to see the issue in its entirety because of their short-term interests. If the target at present is the judiciary and the main opposition party, PTI, next time the focus can shift to their side.
In fact even the prime minister’s office is not safe. After audio leaks of his conversations with his associates were released on social media, former PM Imran Khan had approached the Supreme Court with a petition, urging it to take notice of the offence and hold accountable those responsible for it. His plea has remained pending. PM Shehbaz Sharif also featured in one such leak, though a rather innocuous one.
He had vowed to take action, but nothing followed. Surveillance of public office holders to manipulate them through blackmail is an offence that has no place in any civilised polity.
An inquiry must be held to identify the culprits and stay their hand. That should not be so difficult to determine considering that certain intelligence agencies have access to and the capability for wiretapping conversations among public official holders and others of perceived ‘value’.
Some have taken issue with the mainstream media’s coverage of the leaks. That is unfair criticism for the ‘leaks’ are made on social media platforms, where media cells of political parties use them to serve their partisan agendas. Detailed reporting allows the people to judge the purported content on their own.
The abominable practice of spying on people with impunity will not stop until and unless all politicians across the political divide take a united stand against it. It is about time Parliament enacted a law imposing severe penalties on those engaged in this illegal and immoral activity.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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