PEMRA urges IHC to exclude Justice Sattar from audio leak case

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has formally appealed to Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to step aside from overseeing the audio leak case.

PEMRA – a key party in the audio leak case – has filed a supplementary application before the IHC ahead of its forthcoming hearing scheduled for Monday, around the contention that Justice Sattar should recuse himself from the case due to a previous IHC bench having already addressed a similar matter.

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The application underscores the importance of continuity, advocating that the bench previously involved in a related matter should continue to handle the ongoing petitions. Justice Sattar was presiding over petitions filed by Najam Saqib, the son of former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, and Bushra Bibi, the spouse of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Saqib’s petition challenges a parliamentary committee’s inquiry into an alleged audio recording wherein he purportedly sought a bribe for a ticket of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). On the other hand, Bushra Bibi contests an inquiry initiated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) regarding her purported conversation.

During previous hearings, Justice Sattar had directed the intelligence agencies and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to trace the origin of the leaked audio. Additionally, PEMRA was instructed not to broadcast unauthorised or leaked conversations of individuals.

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However, state institutions, including intelligence agencies, highlighted the challenge of addressing privacy breaches, attributing the leaks to smartphone apps. PEMRA Chairman Mriza Saleem Baig informed the court about the active role of the Council of Complaints in taking action against TV channels airing unverified and personal conversations.

Reports from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) highlighted the technical complexities involved in tracing the source of audio leaks, citing encryption as a significant obstacle.