Supreme Court stays IHC proceedings in audio leak case

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 19 (APP): The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday served notices to the respondents in an appeal filed by the federal government against the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order in connection with the alleged audio leaks of Najam us Saqib and Bushra Bibi.

The top court also stayed the IHC's June 25 order and stayed its proceedings in the matter until further notice.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Amin ud Din Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan heard the case.

The Supreme Court, in its order for hearing, said that the Deputy Attorney General had stated that the proceedings of the IHC were not yet completed. The High Court had exceeded the jurisdiction of Article 199. Two decisions of the Supreme Court had laid down the principles that the High Court could not pass autonomous orders.

The court was informed that the five issues decided in the Supreme Court hearing on May 31 did not pertain to the plaintiffs' case. It was also informed that the Supreme Court could not conduct an investigation.

Deputy Attorney General Aamir Rehman told the court during the hearing that the IHC's May 29 order had prevented the agencies from intercepting phone calls and conducting CDR. The order has prevented the institutions from conducting counter-intelligence and apprehending terrorists.

The court stated in its order that the IHC order dated May 29, 2024, had been reviewed. This order was not extended in the next court proceedings, hence it will not be stayed, it said.

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