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The government of Pakistan has officially allowed the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to intercept and trace phones call and messages under section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Act, 1996.
A notification issued by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication of the Government of Pakistan on June 8 stated that: “ in the exercise of the powers conferred under section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996 (the Act), the Federal Government in the interest of national security and the apprehension of any offense, is pleased to authorize the officers not below the rank of grade 18 to be nominated from time to time by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to intercept calls and messages or to trace calls through any telecommunication system as envisaged under Section 54 of the Act.”
It is noteworthy that the tracing and recording of phone calls of politicians and rulers by law enforcement agencies have been widely criticized in Pakistan in the recent past.
