SC upholds order on audio leaks commission

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has upheld its order issued on May 26, which suspended the proceedings initiated by the government-appointed inquiry commission to investigate the alleged audio leaks and their potential impact on the independence of the judiciary.

A written order was issued by a five-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, summarising the proceedings held on June 6 regarding this matter. The bench was comprised of Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Shahid Waheed.

“The learned attorney general of Pakistan presented his submissions regarding the Federation’s CMA No. 3932/2023, which seeks the recusal of three learned members of the bench,” said the written order.

The order further noted that Shoaib Shaheen provided counterarguments, and after hearing the arguments from both sides, the court reserved its decision.

“The interim order issued by the court on May 26, 2023, in CMA No. 3663/2023 shall remain in effect in the meantime,” concluded the written order.

It is important to mention that on May 26, a larger bench of the Supreme Court had halted the proceedings of an inquiry commission led by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, which was investigating the authenticity of recent audio leaks and their potential impact on the independence of the judiciary.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman, Supreme Court Bar President Abid S Zubairi, and other petitioners had challenged the notification issued by the federal government, which constituted an inquiry commission to investigate the alleged audio leaks.