Taking another U-turn, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has deviated from its stance on phone tapping of politicians by the intelligence agencies and urged the Supreme Court to take a suo-motu notice on the matter.
Earlier in November, 2020, when the PTI was in power, former prime minister and PTI Chairperson Imran Khan had justified phone tapping of politicians by the intelligence agencies, saying the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) listen to all his telephonic conversations and this is exactly how it should be. “ISI, which is the world’s most outstanding agency, listens to everything I say [over the phone],” he had said.
However, while addressing a press conference today, PTI’s senior leader Dr Shireen Mazari alleged that the incumbent government is involved in tapping phones, which she said, is a violation of a Supreme Court order.
“Claims are being made that the government is tapping phones. The Supreme Court put an end to phone tapping in the Benazir Bhutto case. But despite the Supreme Court’s order, phones are still being tapped,” she said.
She called on the apex court to take a suo-motu notice on the matter as the move violates the top court’s order.
Commenting on the leaked audio clip of former first lady Bushra Bibi and Dr Arsalan Khalid, the former secretary of PTI’s social media team, Mazari said that “no substantial” conversation is there and “the actual problem here is of phone tapping”.
“One wonders how much did the US help in tapping the phones,” she said.
