Pakistan has a long and convoluted history, both in terms of geography and political credibility, where a number of state institutions appear to be mired in a struggle for dominance.
The recent creation of the Audio Leaks Commission, which is led by Justice Faiz Issa, the most senior judge on the Supreme Court and a figure who has been in the news for his controversial comments, can also be considered as a symptom of the tyranny.
On the other hand, the same panel that summoned 4 people in connection with the claimed audios on May 27 also includes two Chief Justices of the High Courts of Islamabad and Balochistan, including Supreme Court President Bar Abid Zubiri and Attorney Khawaja Tariq Rahim.
Some sections of the media claim that Abdul Qayyum Siddiqui and former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar’s son Najam Saqib has also been summoned to the commission on May 27, while Imran Khan has challenged the formation of the commission.
According to PTI Chairman Imran Khan, there was no need to create a separate commission to look into the audio leaks when the Supreme Judicial Commission was available to look into judges’ business. Federal Minister of Law Nazir Tarar also agreed that there was no need to request the creation of the Audio Commission from the Chief Justice.
The revelation that the federal government had sent audios to the purported investigator of the commission of inquiry set up to look into Audio Leaks broke earlier. The designated officer also gathered the transcript along with the audios.
Along with the audios, the names, jobs, and contact information for the individuals in the recordings were also gathered, demonstrating how seriously Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who is in charge of the federal government, is treating the inquiry into the audio leaks.
It’s interesting to note that while the investigation into the audio leaks of the judges was taken seriously, there was no response to the audio leaks of Maryam Nawaz’s media management, Imran Khan, or Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
The tendency of Audioleaks has grown recently despite government actions, which shows that the government is unable to rein in the deep state players. If politicians truly want civilian supremacy in Pakistan, they must reflect deeply on this sad reality.
