Audio leaks: IHC adjourns hearing on Bushra Bibi’s petition till 18th Sept

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) adjourned the hearing on Bushra Bibi’s petition against audio leaks till September 18.

Justice Babar Sattar of the IHC heard the petition and merged PTI chairman’s wife Bushra Bibi and Zulfi Bukhari’s audio leak petitions with Najamul Saqib’s petition which was already pending.

During the proceedings, lawyer Latif Khosa representing the petitioners raised concerns that their phones had been bugged. In response, Justice Sattar commented that phone tapping was a widespread issue and asked why it was being treated as a significant matter. Khosa asserted that both the police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were subjecting Bushra Bibi to harassment.

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Justice Sattar, in turn, requested that the court be provided with assistance on the legality of phone tapping and the relevant evidence law. He pointed out that the source of such information cannot be inquired from the law enforcement agencies.

Lawyer Khosa also requested the court to halt the FIA from harassing his client until the next hearing. Justice Sattar indicated that he would consider such an order, but only if he was confident that it could be effectively implemented. He cautioned that the term “harassment” was broad and suggested that it might lead to contempt of court petitions in the future.

As a result of these deliberations, the IHC decided to postpone the hearing on Bushra Bibi’s audio leak petition to September 18, allowing for further examination and legal considerations. – INP