Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that the federal government’s audio leaks probe commission will have the power to look into who is leaking these conversations.
In an interview, Sanaullah stated to a private news channel that the panel headed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa had the authority to look into who had recorded the audios and leaked them. He claimed that the civil society and others were pressuring the government to look into the audio leaks.
Before approaching the Supreme Judicial Commission (SJC), the government should have some evidence in its possession, he continued, adding, “Crime cannot take the shield of privacy”.
Earlier, the federal government established a three-member judicial commission under the direction of Senior Puisne Judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court to investigate the validity of audio leaks and their effects on the independence of the court.
The decision was finalized on Friday during a meeting of the federal cabinet. Chief Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan of the Balochistan High Court and Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court are both members of the commission.
The commission was established by Section 3 of the Inquiry Commission Act 2017, which states, “Whenever it is expedient to conduct an inquiry into any definite matter of public importance, the Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, constitute a Commission of Inquiry by the provisions of this Act”.
The commission will look into the validity of the audio leaks and how they may have affected the judiciary’s independence.
