Imran Khan points out ‘flaws’ in commission's TORs made for audio leaks

Lahore: Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)  Imran Khan on Saturday  raised concerns about the Terms of Reference (ToR) of a three-member judicial commission appointed by the federal government to investigate the audio leaks.

 Taking to Twitter, the former Prime Minister stated that the federal government formed an inquiry commission under Section 3 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 2017 to address the issue of audio leaks. However, Imran Khan highlighted a deliberate omission in the ToRs formulated by the government.

He pointed out that the ToR failed to address the crucial issue of identifying those responsible for the illegal and unconstitutional surveillance of the Prime Minister's office and sitting judges of the Supreme Court.

Earlier in the day, the federal government formed a three-member judicial commission led by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, a senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court, to investigate the multiple audio leaks related to the judiciary. The commission also includes Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan of the Balochistan High Court and Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court. The commission has been given a timeframe of 30 days to complete its task.

Imran Khan emphasized that the commission should have the authority to investigate the powerful and unidentified entities involved in tapping and recording telephone conversations of citizens, including high-ranking public officials. He highlighted that such actions constitute a severe violation of privacy rights guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution.

Imran Khan stressed the importance of holding not only those accountable who unlawfully retrieve data through illegal phone tapping and surveillance but also those who fabricate and tamper with phone calls before leaking them on social media. He emphasized that democracies governed by the rule of law prioritize protecting individuals' privacy and dignity, which are unequivocally infringed upon when the state engaged in unlawful surveillance.

Referring to recent leaked calls made through a supposedly secure phone line in the Prime Minister's Office, Imran Khan asserted that they were unlawfully tapped, fabricated, and tampered with. He suggested that the individuals responsible for such audacious actions operate independently, outside the control and even knowledge of the Prime Minister. Imran Khan questioned the identity of these actors who act with impunity, defying the law and the authority of the country's highest office. He called upon the Commission to identify and hold such elements accountable.