ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Saturday announced to constitute a three-member judicial commission, led by Supreme Court senior puisne judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa, to probe the veracity of the audio leaks and their impact on the independence of the judiciary.
The decision was taken during the federal cabinet’s meeting a day earlier. The commission includes Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq. However, the consent of the judges is yet to be taken.
The commission has been formed under Section 3 of the Inquiry Commission Act 2017, which states that “whenever it is expedient to conduct an inquiry into any definite matter of public importance, the Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, constitute a Commission of Inquiry in accordance with the provisions of this Act”.
The commission will probe the genuineness of the audios and their impact on the independence of the judiciary. Typically, the government requests the chief justice of Pakistan to nominate a judge for the formation of the commission. However, a senior government official believes that there is no requirement in the law to get consent from the CJP.
It was learnt that five audio leaks revolve around the family of the Chief Justice against whom the PDM government has initiated a campaign for ‘preferential treatment’ to PTI chief Imran Khan.
Earlier in May, the National Assembly passed a motion demanding the government forming a special parliamentary committee to investigate the alleged audio leak of former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar’s son. Since the start of the Supreme Court’s suo-moto proceedings over holding elections for two provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa within 90 days, some audio leaks purportedly involving Supreme Court judges and their family members have created quite a stir in the country’s politics. However, the apex court has shown judicial restraint and refrained from initiating any separate proceeding to deal with the issue.
