The top judges continue to be the subject of controversy with the release of new audio.
Fawad Chaudhry, the leader of the PTI, has distanced himself from the allegedly false audio and denied having met with CJLHC.
The ongoing issue surrounding the nation’s senior judges got more fuel when a new audio leak, purportedly of a phone call between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry and his brother Advocate Faisal Chaudhry, surfaced on Friday.
Three judges are mentioned in the purported chat between Fawad and Faisal: Justice Mazahir Ali Naqvi of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, and Chief Judge of Lahore High Court Muhammad Ameer Bhatti.
A voice apparently belonging to Fawad is heard saying, “The CJ Lahore is requesting for a general [meeting] with Bandial to be arranged,” which is confirmed by a second voice purportedly belonging to Faisal on the phone call.
“Also, meet Mazahir through Mr Dar and tell him that a loaded truck is standing in your name, tell us what we should do with it,” the PTI leader reportedly said before adding that “my own personal recommendation is that after doing three or four suits on Tarar, he should be given [Section] 228 there so that they come under some pressure at least”.
Faisal allegedly responded by telling his brother that he would look into the situation the next day and that he would “take care of it” “After asking them,” he is said to have said.
It should be emphasised that Faisal is a well-known attorney who frequently represents the PTI.
This morning, hours after the recording went popular on social media, Fawad tweeted that the footage was “another phoney audio” and rejected it.
He declared, “I have nothing to do with this audio, I have never met the chief justice of Lahore, and I have not asked him to assist Justice Mazahir.
Nonetheless, the rumour mill was seen spinning on social media, which was ablaze.
The court system is under intense strain as a result of the third audio leak since February.
Pervez Elahi, the soon-to-be president of the PTI, is said to have made two audio clips that are at the centre of the controversy. The calls for the apex court to launch an investigation into the matter and dispel the alarming perception that the judiciary is “under the question mark” have been made since the audio clips first surfaced.
A short time later, a new audio recording purportedly depicting PTI politician Yasmin Rashid and Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar had surfaced on social media. In the audio clip, a man is heard indicating that he has “his man” at the supreme court.
Top legal organisations, such as the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), have stated that they will be filing separate accusations of misconduct with the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against a SC judge as a result of the audio leaks, but the top court has not yet reached a consensus on the issue.
