The head of Intelligence Bureau (IB) earlier yesterday, informed a Senate committee that his organisation was not tapping the telephones of politicians and parliamentarians whereas it had a ‘blanket permission’ to tap the phones of suspected terrorists and criminals.
Appearing before the Senate standing committee on rules and privileges, headed by retired Col Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Director General IB Aftab Sultan said his agency required prior permission of the prime minister for tapping the telephones of the parliamentarians.
“I can say categorically that I have not received any directives either from the previous or the present prime minister to tap the telephones of parliamentarians,” he declared, adding no telephones of parliamentarians or journalists were presently being tapped under his command.
Mr Sultan said his agency had put under surveillance the telephones of only suspected terrorists and criminals in the interests of the country, and for that purpose it had a ‘blanket permission’.
The civilian spy chief had been summoned by the committee to respond to a privilege motion moved by Salim Mandviwala of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) last year.
The senator had alleged that his mobile telephone was being tapped by some secret agency.
But the IB chief told the meeting that he had no information about the tapping of Mr Mandviwala’s mobile phone. He also said officials of his agency could not tap the telephone of any individual without his approval or bringing the matter to his knowledge.
After the DG’s remarks, Mr Mandviwala showed the copy of an internal communication of the Bureau carrying a directive to provide complete data of the calls made to and from the personal telephone of Mr Mandviwala, who had also served as the finance minister during the previous PPP government.
Mr Mandviwala also said he had “some more evidence” to prove his claim that his telephone remained under surveillance.
The chairman of the committee directed the IB chief to come up with a report within 10 days regarding the authenticity of the letter.
