Nisar’s son challenges NA’s leaks committee

Requests IHC to suspend proceedings of panel; stop it from taking punitive measures

ISLAMABAD:

Najam Saqib, son of former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against a special committee formed by the National Assembly speaker to probe into a couple of audio clips allegedly featuring his voice.

A couple of audio clips allegedly featuring the voice of Najam Saqib appeared on April 29.

In one of the clips, Najam could be heard telling a politician, Abuzar Chadar, that his father, Nisar, had “worked really hard” to get Chadar a ticket of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. In the second audio, Najam allegedly tells one Mian Aziz how much money he expects in return for the party ticket.

On May 2, the National Assembly passed a motion demanding formation of a special parliamentary committee to investigate the audios and on May 3, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf constituted the committee.

After an in-camera meeting of the committee, its chairman Aslam Bhootani on May 24 told the media that the committee had summoned to its next meeting former CJP Nisar, his son Najam as well as Mian Aziz and Abuzar Chadar in connection with its probe into the leaked audios.

In the petition filed on Tuesday, Najam requested the court to suspend proceedings of the committee and stop it from taking any punitive action.

Also read: Leaks commission summons ex-CJP’s son

The petitioner contended that the alleged audios represent a breach of his privacy and his illegal surveillance. He requested the court to declare that recording a private person’s personnel conversation is a violation of basic human rights.

The petition argued that the committee formed by the NA speaker to probe into the audios is illegal. The summons issued by the committee secretary without any meeting of the committee—asking Najam, his father and two other persons to appear in person—is also illegal.

Najam said audios can only be presented as evidence in a trial or investigation when it is known as to who recorded them and with what intention. The petitioner prayed to the court to declare the committee illegal.

The IHC registrar office, however, raised objections to the petition. It argued that the matter of the audio leaks is already pending with the Supreme Court. The registrar also contended that two different types of pleas cannot be made in a single petition.

It said on the one hand the petitioner challenged the notification of the committee while on the other hand he also requested the court to declare recording of audios as illegal. IHC judge Babar Sattar will hear the petition along with the registrar office’s objections today [Wednesday].

The federal government on May 20 also formed a judicial commission, led by Justice Qazi Faez Isa to probe into the genuineness of over half a dozen audios involving some serving and former judges and their family members.

The commission on May 25 also asked four individuals including Najam and Nisar to appear before it on May 27. However, an apex court bench suspended proceedings of the commission on May 27.