ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday suspended the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) ruling in the audio leaks case, lifting the ban on digital surveillance.
A two-member bench, consisting of Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, reviewed the appeal filed by the federal government concerning Bushra Bibi, wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and Najam Saqib, son of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar.
The Supreme Court also prohibited the High Court from continuing with the case and suspended the order against surveillance in the country, noting that the original order to halt surveillance was only valid for a single hearing.
Earlier, on May 29, IHC’s Justice Babar Sattar had prohibited telecom companies from recording phone calls and data for surveillance.
During his court appearance, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Amir Rehman argued that the May 29 ruling, which restricted officials from eavesdropping on phone conversations, adversely impacted intelligence agency operations. In today’s hearing, AAG emphasized that agencies like ISI and IB are now hindered in their ability to conduct counter-intelligence and apprehend terrorists.
