Any intelligence agency could not tap the phone of any individual until the permission of a judge, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan said as audio tapes purportedly of his party leaders and allies were leaked online in the recent past.

“Pakistan has a Fair Trial Act. It says no agency, ISI, IB, or police, can tap the phone of anyone until they ask the interior minister, and the interior minister approaches the court and the court’s judge allows them as it was important for the country or it can suppress terrorism or protect country’s national interest. Then he gives permission. Phones can be tapped after this,” he said in an address to the party workers on Sunday. He was accompanied by party leader Yasmin Rashid.

The address came after an audio tape, apparently linked to a conversation between PTI’s Yasmin and Lahore’s newly-reinstated CCPO Ghulam Mehmood Dogar, was leaked on Saturday. The call was purportedly linked to his reinstatement.

In the alleged call, Rashid could be heard asking him the CCPO if the court has issued orders and whether they would be issued the same day at all.

Dogar’s transfer by Punjab’s caretaker was reversed by the Supreme Court on Friday. He was reappointed as CCPO in July 2022 after being removed the previous year for failing to deal with the TLP’s march in 2021.

Imran claimed that phone tapping was done to achieve political goals, adding that videos of his party leaders were made and they were threatened.

Recalling this history, he said that phone tapping was one of the reasons behind the fall of the government of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1996.

PTI’s Yasmin claimed that the audio was leaked with an aim to sabotage the Joint Investigation Team probing the Wazirabad attack.

“Mr Dogar was the convener of the JIT when it was formed. He was then the CCPO and he had revealed to the government that three people were involved in the assassination attempt and also sent the proof to the court, she added.

The PTI chairman appealed to the courts to save society from the menace of phone tapping. “We have hopes from courts regarding this. Dr Yasmin will also approach the relevant court regarding this,” he said.