ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) again summoned the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman in the audio leaks case.
A single bench of Justice Babar Sattar, on Monday, conducted the hearing of the petitions of former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar’s son Mian Najam-us-Saqib and former prime minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi regarding their audio conversation leaks.
During the hearing, Irfan Qadir appeared before the court on behalf of the PTA, while Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director General (DG) Fawad Asadullah also appeared before the court and a written statement of journalist Mazhar Abbas was submitted. Another journalist Asif Bashir Chaudhary also filed a response on behalf of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.
Justice Sattar inquired from the PTA lawyer where the PTA chairman was. The lawyer replied that the PTA chairman was in Barcelona and he would return in three to four days.
Justice Sattar asked that the chairman was ordered to submit his affidavit. He added that he had been the lawyer of the PTA and he knows that there is legal interception. It is not possible for telephone operators to tell a lie in court. The PTA has submitted a reply that there is no legal interception. The judge asked that why the PTA is embarrassing itself by taking this stance.
Justice Sattar remarked that they had to take the matter in some direction and decide the case.
Lawyer Qadir argued that the PTA had not given permission to anyone to make audios. He added that there is a certain mechanism for this.
The IHC bench said that first, the PTA submitted one and now they are saying something else. He asked that did the chairman submit his affidavit.
During the hearing, the IB DG adopted the stance that they can neither confirm nor negate the issue of taping telephones. He added that they keep an eye on the enemies of the state and the elements working against the integrity of the country.
He maintained that they were ready to provide details to the judge in his chamber.
Later, the IHC bench summoned the PTA chairman on the next date of hearing and deferred the proceedings.
In this matter, MianNajam moved the court through his counsels, Sardar Latif Khosa and Shoaib Shaheen advocate and cited the Federation of Pakistan through the secretary Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the speaker National Assembly and the chairman of the Special Committee.
The petitioner’s counsel stated that a conversation between two private individuals does not constitute a matter that falls within the domain of Parliament. He further stated that the Parliament has no authority to inquire and investigate the matter as even in the event that any action attributed to the petitioner constituted an offence under any law in force, the power of inquiry and investigation regarding actions of citizens is an executive function.
The counsel contended, “The Federal Government or the State has no authority or jurisdiction to record private conversations between citizens and undertake their surveillance.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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