Audio leaks commission should probe ‘powerful elements’: Imran Khan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday called for empowering high-powered judicial commission on audio leaks to investigate “powerful and unknown elements” behind the wiretapping.

Earlier today, the federal government formed three-member judicial commission — led by Justice Qazi Faez Isa and including Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Aamer Farooq — to probe the audio leaks involving judges.

In a detailed statement on his Twitter handle, the PTI chief said the federal government has formed an inquiry commission under “Section 3 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 2017” to investigate into the issue of audio leaks.

However, the terms of references (TORs) set by the federal government suffered from a deliberate omission, he said. “They fail to take into account the issue that who is behind unlawful and unconstitutional surveillance of PM office and sitting judges of the Supreme Court.”

He demanded that the commission should be empowered to investigate who are these powerful and unknown elements who tap and record telephone conversation of citizens including high public functionaries.

Khan, who was ousted from power in April las year, said the wiretapping was serious breach of privacy guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution. “Not only those who illegally retrieve data through unlawful phone tapping and surveillance should be held accountable but those who through fabrication and tampering of different phone calls leak them on social media also need to be held accountable.”

“Democracies governed by the rule of law propose that the state should not arbitrarily intrude into certain aspects of life. Right to privacy and dignity guaranteed under Article 14 are patently infringed whenever the state unlawfully surveils an individual,” the ousted PM added.

Khan said some of the recent leaked calls were made over what was supposed to be a secure phone line in the Prime Minister’s Office. “Nevertheless, they unlawfully were tapped and fabricated/tampered with.”

“Seemingly, the elements behind such audacious tapping operate in a manner outside the command and even knowledge of the PM of Pakistan. Who are these actors who are above the law and outside the command of even the prime minister of the country, and who resort to such illegal surveillance with impunity? Such elements need to be held identified by the Commission,” Khan demanded.