The Islamabad High Court (IHC) denied the Intelligence Bureau’s (IB) plea to retract its earlier objection to the bench overseeing the case concerning leaked audio recordings.
The IHC’s decision follows the imposition of fines on three other government agencies earlier in the week for filing similar petitions.
Justice Babar Sattar, who presided over the hearing, rejected the IB’s motion. The court had previously penalized the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), each with a fine of Rs 500,000 due to their respective petitions related to the case.
Although the IB was not fined at that time, Joint Director General Tariq Mehmood was summoned to appear at the subsequent hearing. The controversy centres around audio leaks involving Saqib Nisar’s son and Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI founder Imran Khan. Justice Sattar assumed responsibility for the case in 2023.
During the court session, the Assistant Attorney General relayed the IB’s intention to withdraw its objection against Justice Sattar’s participation on the bench. However, Justice Sattar dismissed this move, stating, “Your objection petition has already been dismissed. You will receive the dismissal order for the application when it is issued.”
Additionally, Justice Sattar suggested that contempt of court charges might be considered against the IB’s Director General, referencing a notice in the court’s dismissal order that questioned the legitimacy of the petition’s filing. He advised the Assistant Attorney General that a response could only be formulated following the issuance of the order.
