Islamabad HC summons PTA chairman to clarify position in audio leak case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has summoned the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman regarding the audio leak case, following his counsel's denial of any authorization for call interception by the regulatory body, Dawn reported.

The petitions filed by Najam Saqib, son of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, and Bushra Bibi, spouse of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, challenge the inquiries initiated against them based on an alleged audio leak.

The report said that the directors general of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were present during the hearing by Justice Babar Sattar. Advocate Irfan Qadir, representing the PTA chairman, informed the court of his client's official visit to Barcelona and that he is expected to return in three to four days.

While the PTA official had previously informed the court regarding the provision for call interception within the legal framework, advocate Qadir clarified that the PTA had not granted permission for such interception, as per Dawn.

Questioning the PTA's inconsistency, Justice Sattar raised doubts about the authenticity of earlier submissions and asked if the chairman had complied with the court's directive to submit an affidavit clarifying their stance.

The court summoned the PTA chairman Hafeez Ur Rehman to appear in person on March 14.

According to the report, IB DG Fuad Asadullah was asked to elucidate the legal interception procedure and address measures safeguarding citizens' privacy.

"Are telecom operators allowed phone tapping?" Justice Sattar questioned.

He remarked that telecom operators would have to respond to this issue.

The IB DG said the prime responsibility of the intelligence agencies was to keep a check on enemies of the state.

However, he requested the judge to hear the details in the chamber, according to Dawn.

The next hearing in the case will take place on March 14.