Justice Farooq Haider of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday forwarded his recommendation to LHC Chief Justice (CJ) Miss Aalia Neelum to form a larger bench on the petition filed against the federal government’s decision to give an intelligence agency the power to tap phone calls of politicians and others. Naming the federal government, the Interior Ministry, the Ministry for Information Technology and others as respondents, the Judicial Activism Panel, in its petition, said the government’s decision was not only against the constitution but also against the court’s verdict. “Before tapping phone calls, it is necessary to seek permission from a court,” the petitioner said, adding, “The government does not have the authority to allow any agency to do so until and unless the court grants permission for that.”

It was in fact, the petitioner argued, not only the breach of country’s laws, but also of international laws. “Therefore, it is prayed to the court to declare the government’s decision null and void.”  Four days ago, the federal government’s decision to allow the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to tap phone calls was challenged in the Lahore High Court. On July 9, the government authorized the ISI to tap phone calls on the grounds that it was necessary for national security and crime prevention. The authorization was given under Section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Act. As per the notification issued by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, at least an officer of grade 18 will be appointed for this task.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan