- IHC restricts committee from acting against former CJP’s son: Audio leaks
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) requested the government to provide information regarding the individuals responsible for recording audio conversations during a hearing on Wednesday.
The court issued these directives in response to a petition filed by Najam Saqib, the son of former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar. The petition challenged a National Assembly committee tasked with investigating an alleged audio leak, which contained a voice purported to be Najam’s, demanding a “reward” from a PTI leader in exchange for securing him a party ticket for the Punjab elections.
During the case proceedings, Justice Babar Sattar questioned, “Who records the audios?” The IHC demanded a response from the government by June 19 and also prohibited the NA committee from taking any action against the ex-CJP’s son.
Najam’s petition sought to halt the proceedings of the parliamentary panel, led by Aslam Bhootani, as it was formed in violation of the National Assembly rules. He claimed that although he was not summoned, the committee’s secretary instructed him to appear before the panel.
At the beginning of the hearing, Justice Sattar inquired about the committee’s authority to issue a notice, asking if it was a special committee. Najam’s lawyer, Sardar Latif Khosa, argued that the special committee would follow the same rules as regular committees. Justice Sattar responded by suggesting the involvement of the relevant ministry in the case, to which Khosa explained that there was no relevant ministry but assured they would do so.
The lawyer contended that their petition stated that the NA speaker and the assembly lacked jurisdiction to investigate “private matters.” He emphasized that they had not challenged the ongoing Supreme Court hearings regarding the formation of a judicial commission to probe recent audio leaks.
Khosa highlighted that the audio in question was a private phone call between two individuals and should not be subjected to parliamentary scrutiny. Subsequently, the court suspended the summons issued to Najam by the committee and instructed the government to submit a reply by June 19.
Najam’s petition also contested the legality and validity of the National Assembly speaker’s decision to form the special committee for auditing, inquiry, and investigation of the alleged audio clip involving him. The petition asserted that the campaign against Najam and his father was based on the assumption that some form of gratification was obtained by Abuzar Chaddhar in exchange for the party ticket. However, it stated that Chaddhar explored other avenues as well to secure the ticket and Najam firmly believed that Chaddhar received it on merit.
According to the petition, the audio leak resulted from illegal surveillance of Najam’s privacy, which should not be disseminated or used to incriminate him. The petition argued that any document or audio leak could not be used in a trial or inquiry unless it was clear who recorded it and for what purpose.
The alleged audio featured a voice purportedly belonging to Najam, mentioning his father’s efforts and arranging a meeting with Abuzar Chaddhar, who was seeking the PTI ticket. Another voice, identified as Mian Uzair, was heard in conversation with Najam, asking for “not only delivery of the goods, don’t take less than 120.” Chaddhar was ultimately granted a PTI ticket in the second phase after party chairman Imran Khan reviewed and revised his earlier decision on 22 seats.
The former Chief Justice confirmed that the audio belonged to his son but claimed that the facts had been manipulated.
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