ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has summoned the Director General (DG) of Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the DG of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for a hearing on February 19 in connection with the audio leaks case. Justice Babar Sattar of the IHC issued a seven-page written order on the matter.
The order highlighted that the Attorney General, representing the federal government, affirmed that no intelligence agency had been authorized to record telephone calls. Emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the privacy and rights of citizens, the Attorney General raised questions about the origin of the leaked audio on social media. The FIA sought additional time to provide a response.
The court, seeking clarification, directed the FIA to submit a detailed report identifying the social media accounts responsible for disseminating the audio leaks. Additionally, the DG of FIA has been summoned to appear and elucidate the methods involved in surveillance and recording of phone calls.
According to the IHC order, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) submitted a report through the Ministry of Defense, asserting that ISI lacks the technological capability to trace the source of information shared on social media. The court further instructed the Intelligence Bureau to conduct an inquiry and submit a report detailing the accounts responsible for sharing the audio leaks.
In a broader context, the court mandated the submission of details regarding social media accounts engaged in the dissemination of illegally recorded calls. The DG of IB is tasked with elucidating who possesses the capability to conduct surveillance on citizens of Pakistan and whether the state has the means to protect against unauthorized surveillance activities.
