Audio leaks case: Top court rejects PDM govt’s objections on SC judges

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has set aside all the objections raised by the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government against the members of the five-judge bench hearing audio commission case, ARY News reported.

The five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi had earlier reserved its verdict against the Justice Qazi Faez Isa-led inquiry commission formed by the then PDM government to probe audio leaks.

The government had objected to the inclusion of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar on the bench.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan pronounced the reserved decision on Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Abid Shahid Zuberi’s petition which declared the objections “an attack on the independence of the judiciary”.

The apex court reserved the verdict on the then government’s petition on June 6.

Background

On May 26, the five-member bench order of the apex court, headed by the chief justice, stayed the proceedings on various petitions challenging the constitution of the judicial commission formed by the then federal government, tasked to inquire about the veracity of audio leaks allegedly involving the SC judge and a relative of the top judge.

The commission was headed by the most senior judge of the Supreme Court after the CJP, Justice Qazi Faez Isa. It also compromised of Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.