Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has demanded that a suo motu notice of the leaked “audio clip” should be taken, adding that a forensic audit should also be conducted. The transcript of the purported audio tape ran during his presser.

“If this is fabricated then it should found out and those who fabricate it should be punished. And, if this is true then those who are talking should be questioned about this,” he said at addressing a press conference in Faisalabad on Sunday. “And those about whom this conversation is should resign.”

The purported audio tape was released on social media that showed mother-in-law of CJP Umar Ata Bandial Mahjabeen Noon and PTI lawyer Khawaja Tariq Rahim’s wife Rafia Tariq talking in its thumbnail. They were apparently heard discussing early elections, their support for the chief justice and their resentment towards the ruling alliance.

Aaj News independently could not verify the veracity of the audio clip. The below-mentioned transcript was shared by the ministry during the press conference on state television–PTV.

The development comes amid the election delay case in the apex court. The SC told representatives of major political parties to sit together and try to find a consensus on elections. It has also summoned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, former president Asif Ali Zardari and others on Thursday.

“When such things become open… it leads to a wave of concern among the people that whether the people, sitting in the avenues of our justice, were making decisions on the directives of their sons, dear ones, mother-in-law, father-in-law, mother, father, sister, brother?” he said.

Sanaullah wondered how the people involved in the purported audio tape were able to talk about such things. “All these things are against the system of justice.”

In reaction to the PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, the interior minister claimed that housewives should not involve themselves in politics and discuss the election delay case pending in the Supreme Court.

“Neither the housewives should have a discussion on these cases [election delay in SC] nor they should highlight it. In this conversation, an honourable judge is persuaded to make this decision and they are trying to highlight their relations in it,” he said.

PTI’s Fawad in his Twitter thread spoke about the apparent involvement of agencies in audio leaks. He mentioned the “audio tapes” purportedly leaked from the Office of PM when Imran Khan was in power.

A petition, related to the above mentioned concern, was still pending before the court, he said. “Now judges, politicians, government employees, and even housewives are victims of this third-class thinking, and no one can do anything. Under the ‘Fair Trial Law’, such an illegal phone call tapping should be punishable by up to three years in prison.”

He alleged that the coalition government has made every institution controversial in order to rule the country. Fawad described such a development as a campaign against the Supreme Court.

Earlier, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz reacted to the development on social media

“Where decisions are made not on the basis of Constitution and law but on the likes and dislikes of begums/mother-in-laws, there will be sedition and chaos and development and development will remain only a dream. Chief justice Sb I said before! This is Pakistan’s judiciary, not Joyland!” she said.

The interior minister went on to agree with the PTI’s concern over the tapping of phones, adding that the person who recorded should be held accountable. But he said that the people involved in the apparent conversation should come in front and have a forensic audit of the alleged clip.

“You should admit that this conversation is true and question why it was recorded. OK, we will give a response to this query and the response is that the person who did this will be held accountable with punishment,” Sanaullah said and sought a reply from the PTI if the alleged audio clip was true.

The interior minister went on to add that legal action should start on the purported audio tape and those who are accused of implementing or coming under the influence of the clip should show “grace and step down”.

Without naming the Supreme Court, PM’s aide on defence Malik Ahmad Khan claimed that a quarrel has started in an institution.

“Parliament is a supreme institution, no one should dictate Parliament,” he said at a press conference in Lahore. Ahmad said that the alleged audio was a clear violation of the code of conduct of the judges.

He went on to add that “hackers” ability to make the conversation public and get access to people’s numbers could become a national security issue. The PML-N leader demanded that the Federal Investigation Agency should investigate the matter.

“Parliament is the supreme institution of Pakistan,” PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar said in a statement. He claimed that questions cannot be raised on legislation in Parliament and apparent influence of the family of judges on the code of conduct was a “question mark”.

Favouring any party was a violation of the code of conduct, which cannot be fixed when a reference under Article 209 of the Constitution is filed, he added.

“When I heard this audio on social media, I was sure that the conspiracy is deep. The Constitution and law have been trampled for the sake of families. The families of chief sahib and two colleagues are trying to bring Imran Niazi to power by holding early elections along with attending the meetings,” he tweeted.

Transcript of call

Mahjabeen: Hello Rafia, what is going to happen? I have been praying for Umar [Ata Bandial] since last night, I can’t tell you [how much I] have been praying since the morning.

Rafia Tariq: I have told people as well and sent a message to Umar. I said that you were present at the Lahore rally. There were hundreds and thousands of people. Similarly, there are hundreds and thousands of people in every city. And you just [try to] estimate how much the world is praying for you right now, which will [increase] your strength and your safety.

[inaudible]

Rafia Tariq: No no, his safety is a must.

Mahjabeen: Weaken them and strengthen them.

Rafia: May Allah make the others blind. That’s what I am saying. They are…they are traitors of this country. Look at the way they are doing it.

Mahjabeen: Exactly. But now they are saying why has he got the authority to do it.

Rafia: No, but no, no, no.

Mahjabeen: They are deliberately giving an advantage by putting other things there now.

Rafia: There is no other thing.

Mahjabeen: And also questioning why has suo motu been taken.

Rafia: That’s his right.

Mahjabeen: Umar hasn’t been given [suo motu], it had happened earlier.

Rafia: No, but it’s the right of every chief justice. If you have to change the law then change them in your […vella] not at this time

Mahjabeen; No, but they can’t change them now.

Rafia: Not now. They can change it later but not now. The law is there.

Mahjabeen: Law is there. Exactly.

Rafia: Yeah. Exactly. [inaudible]

Mahjabeen: [I told his wife and kids] You don’t come at all. You stay with Umar. He needs you at this moment.

Rafia: No. Not even Naveen should come and I have told Iman that ‘beta stay with abba all the time’.

Mah Jabeen: Yeah, exactly.

Rafia: At night, I… at night.. at night I sent something to them both, him and Muneeb. You know what he sent me [back]? The face that you make while biting the tongue. He was telling me to be careful. Why should I be careful? Why?

Mahjabeen: May the elections be held at the earliest.

Rafia: Elections… see if they don’t happen then assume there will be [martial law]. They [PDM govt] cannot stay that’s it.

Mahjabeen: They are not even ready to impose martial law.

Rafia: They are ready.