The PTI approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday seeking the formation of a judicial commission to probe the audio leaks – featuring several party leaders and former prime minister Imran Khan – and declare the act of recording audio conversations of political leaders as “unconstitutional”. The petition was filed by PTI Central Punjab President Yasmeen Rashid through Advocate Rana Mudassir wherein the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defence, the chief secretary of Punjab, and interestingly ARY News among others have been made respondents. The plea will be taken up for hearing on Monday. In her petition filed today, Dr Rashid pointed out that audio conversations of the PTI leadership were being leaked. “These acts seem as a personal attack and infringement of constitutional rights of freedom of thoughts, speech, and right to dignity and privacy but as a matter of fact these nefarious acts amount to threaten and undermine the constitutional dispensation of rule of law, democracy, democratic institutions and above all the very constitution of Pakistan, 1973.”
She said such acts amounted to depriving political leaders of their basic fundamental rights of freedom of thought and speech and right to dignity and privacy seizing them from political activities “as feeling always under threat that their mobile calls are being secretly taped by agencies to blackmail them.” She demanded that a judicial commission consisting of senior judges of the high court should be constituted to investigate the matter.
Dr Rashid also sought the court’s directions to stop the airing of leaked audios on the mainstream media. “It is most respectfully prayed that this petition may kindly be accepted and the very act of audio tape recording and broadcasting on electronic media by respondents may be declared to be in violation of the constitutionally protected rights under articles 2A, 4, 5, 9, 14, 17, 19 i. e. right of freedom of thought and speech, right to dignity, and privacy, right to life and freedom as well as a collective right to be an active member of political party namely PTI for establishing and maintaining rule of law and democracy in Pakistan,” the PTI leader urged in the petition.
