ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister for Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, has called on Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial to step back from hearing the audio leaks case to ensure the delivery of true justice to those affected.
Asif’s request comes in response to a recent order by a five-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by the chief justice, which halted proceedings on several petitions challenging the formation of a judicial commission tasked with investigating alleged audio leaks involving a Supreme Court judge and a relative of the chief justice.
The judicial commission, headed by the second-most senior judge in the Supreme Court, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, included Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court and Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan of the Balochistan High Court.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Minister Asif expressed concerns about the persistent divide between the judiciary and the parliament, which has caused political unrest in the country over the past year.
Referring to a previous incident involving former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s son and Real Estate Tycoon Malik Riaz, Minister Asif highlighted that the former chief justice had recused himself from the case due to a conflict of interest. He questioned why the incumbent chief justice could not follow the same precedent and refrain from influencing the proceedings of the audio leaks case.
Govt Formed Judicial Commission to Ensure Transparency: Khawaja Asif
Minister Asif emphasized that the government had formed the judicial commission, comprising members from the judiciary, with the intention of ensuring transparency in court proceedings. He expressed disappointment that the chief justice had excluded the senior judge of the Supreme Court and the chief justice of the Balochistan High Court from the commission. Asif clarified that the commission was not appointed by individuals from outside the judiciary or members of parliament to investigate the alleged audio leaks.
The minister alleged that the chief justice rejected the commission because it also involved the audio call of his mother-in-law. He expected the chief justice to distance himself from the matter to ensure impartiality. Asif noted that there was speculation that the audio calls were obtained through phone or device tapping, but he argued that international hackers could easily access and record such calls without the need for physical listening devices.
Asif further revealed the formation of a committee, chaired by MNA Aslam Bhootani, to investigate the alleged audio leak of the son of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar. He claimed that Saqib Nisar’s son was involved in distributing PTI tickets for the Punjab Assembly elections that did not take place on May 14.
