No knowledge office allowed by govt to tap sounds, IHC told
No knowledge office allowed by govt to tap sounds, IHC told
Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday that the government does not allow any intelligence agency to listen to audio conversations.
He made this comment during a hearing on a petition filed by Bushra Bibi, wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking legal action against leaks of conversations she allegedly had with PTI leader Latif Khosa. It revealed that.
On December 6, the former first lady filed a complaint with the IHC claiming that the recording violated her right to dignity and privacy as enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution. The application, submitted through IHC’s Khosa, named the chief secretary to the prime minister, the defense minister and the home minister as respondents.
In the previous hearing, IHC Judge Babar Sattar had sought reports from the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other relevant agencies on the data breach case.
He had also directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to submit a “report and response on how to allow leaked private conversations to be broadcast on television channels.”
Public Hearing
At the beginning of today’s public hearing, AGP Awan submitted a report prepared by the Prime Minister’s Office. “The PMO has made it clear that ISI, FIA and IB are not allowed to record conversations,” he said.
Awan explained that the FIA is obliged to identify who recorded the call. “The FIA is contacting the telecommunications companies in accordance with the court’s instructions,” he said, stressing that for this purpose the FIA needs access to the relevant internet protocol addresses.
“If a government agency records conversations, it is an illegal act,” the AGP argued. Awan said the ISI stressed the importance of obtaining reports from social media platforms to proceed with the investigation.
Here, Justice Sattar said he was referring to the PMO report stating that the ISI could not trace the source of the audio leak. Next, he asked about the Pentagon’s motives for submitting the report.
The AGP responded that the authorities should have submitted his report through the PMO.
Meanwhile, Pemula’s lawyer told the court that television stations are prohibited from broadcasting private audio leaks. “What action would Mr. Pemula take in that case?” asked Judge Sattar.
Counsel explained that Mr Pemula had previously issued an order prohibiting the broadcasting of such conversations. He added that the matter had been referred to the authority’s complaints council, which would take an appropriate decision.
Judge Sattar then asked whether Mr Pemra was effectively acting as a regulator. “Did you issue instructions to TV stations in other cases?” he asked.
The judge also asked for clarification as to whether Pemra had distanced itself from the matter by referring it to the Complaints Council.
Mr Khosa said the television station broadcast audio leaks throughout the day, which he described as shameful.
Here, Judge Sattar emphasized the importance of balancing freedom of expression and privacy issues, and emphasized the need for scrutiny. He said it was the country’s responsibility to ensure balance.
The judge then directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to submit a detailed report on the matter and directed the FIA and others to resubmit their responses.
“If you want to create a spectacle, do it. Now it’s up to the federal government to decide how to run it,” Judge Sattar said, adding that if the government doesn’t provide information on the issue, courts will and appointed international advisors, it added.
He also directed the AGP to investigate all messages claiming that the IB was authorized to record conversations. “I will confirm this and return to court,” Awan assured the judge.
Justice Sattar emphasized the seriousness of the matter and promised that an investigation would be carried out. The hearing was then adjourned.
In a video released on social media, a voice believed to be Bibi tells a lawyer that Imran’s sisters are unhappy with his employment.
According to the footage, Bibi told her sisters-in-law that she would hand over all delayed cases to Khosa. She also said Imran’s sister had alleged that Khosa had cheated on her, she said.
The voice, reportedly belonging to the former first lady, revealed that Imran’s sisters were also not happy with Imran’s statement in which she expressed fear that the PTI leader might be poisoned in prison. It was shared.
During the conversation, she said Ms. Khosa had not done anything wrong with her sisters and that she had simply told them to let the case go unhindered.
