New audio leak adds to controversy surrounding top judges

A new audio leak purported to be of a telephone conversation between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry and his brother Advocate Faisal Chaudhry on Friday added fuel to the ongoing controversy involving the country's senior judges.

In the alleged conversation between Fawad and Faisal, the names of three judges - Chief Justice Lahore High Court Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and Supreme Court judge Justice Mazahir Ali Naqvi come up.

"The CJ Lahore (High Court) is asking for a general [meeting] with Bandial to be arranged," a voice allegedly of Fawad is heard saying which was affirmed by another voice purportedly of Faisal in the phone call.

"Also, meet Mazahar through Mr Dar and tell him that a loaded truck is standing in your name […] tell us what we should do with it," the PTI leader reportedly said before adding that "my own personal recommendation is that after doing three or four suits on Tarar, he should be given [Section] 228 there so that they come under some pressure at least".

To this, Faisal is allegedly heard assuring his brother that he will look into the matter the next day and "after asking them" he would "take care of it".

Faisal is a prominent lawyer representing the PTI in several cases.

Hours after the audio went viral on social media this morning, Fawad tweeted rejecting the clip as "another fake audio".

"This audio has nothing to do with me, nor did I ever meet the chief justice of Lahore, nor did I ask him to help Justice Mazahar," he stated.

However, social media was seen ablaze with the rumour mill churning.

This is the third audio leak since February which has left the judicial system under serious pressure.

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The controversy began with two audio clips ascribed to former chief minister Punjab and soon-to-be PTI president Pervaiz Elahi which had left the apex court facing calls to open an investigation into the matter and dispel the alarming impression that brings the judiciary “under the question mark”.

Soon after, a new audio clip allegedly featuring PTI leader Yasmin Rashid and Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar had emerged on social media where the male voice was heard saying that he had "his man" at the apex court.

While top lawyers’ bodies, including the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), announced filing separate complaints of misconduct in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against an SC judge after the audio leaks surfaced, the apex court had yet to form a unanimous opinion on the matter.