NA speaker forms committee to probe 'audio leak' of ex-CJP Nisar's son

Committee can ask any investigative agency for assistance in its inquiry

ISLAMABAD:

Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Wednesday constituted a special committee to investigate the alleged audio leak of former chief justice Saqib Nisar's son, Najam Saqib.

The National Assembly Secretariat appointed Aslam Bhootani as the chairman of the committee and issued an official notification in this regard.

Other members of the committee include Shahida Akhtar Ali, Muhammad Abu Bakr, Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees Tahir, Sheikh Rohale Asghar, Syed Hussain Tariq, Naz Baloch, Khalid Hussain Magsi, Wajiha Qamar and Dr. Muhammad Afzal Khan Dhandla.

Read: Maryam alleges ex-CJP’s son is ‘selling’ PTI tickets

The committee will conduct a 'comprehensive investigation' and submit a report to the NA. Moreover, the committee can also ask any investigative agency for assistance in its inquiry.

The formation of the special committee comes after an audio recording surfaced, purportedly of former chief justice Saqib Nisar’s son, discussing the distribution of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) election tickets for money surfaced on social media.

A day earlier, the NA passed a motion demanding the formation of a special parliamentary committee to investigate the alleged audio leak.

The motion was moved by Shahida Akhtar Ali, who demanded the formation of a special committee to conduct a forensic analysis of the audio and interview the persons speaking in it. The motion further stated that an investigating agency should also conduct an investigation of the audio.

During the session, Ali demanded the speaker of the National Assembly nominate members of the committee along with its chairman. She also asked for clear terms of reference and an allocated time for the committee to complete the task.

Read more: Ex-CJ Nisar under spotlight over audio leaks — again

The passing of this motion came after the leaked audio recording caused a stir in the country’s politics, with many calling for an investigation into allegations of corruption against ex-CJP Nisar and his son. The PTI has denied any involvement in the alleged ticket deal and has stated that they will not tolerate any corruption within their party.

In response to the motion, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President, Maryam Nawaz, had also criticised the former chief justice for allegedly bringing the judiciary into disrepute and damaging the credibility of the institution. She also called for a thorough investigation into the matter.