The Islamabad High Court issued a 29-page order on the audio leaks case, with a mention of Aaj News English story in its twenty-fourth paragraph.

The December 9, 2022 story mentions ‘How audio leaks overshadowed major political events’. It was a time when a series of audio leaks overshadowed even some of those consequential events.

The year culminated with the leaked clip — purportedly the recording of a phone conversation between Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari. Many people cast doubts on the timing of the audio leak.

It reported that on January 4, 2022, an audio leak of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, the incumbent Punjab chief minister, with regard to the media management of PML-N was leaked.

On June 05, 2022, an alleged conversation between business tycoon Malik Riaz and his daughter was leaked. On September 25, 2022, an audio of an alleged conversation between PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif, the incumbent prime minister, during a PML-N meeting at the PM’s House was leaked.

In the same month, Imran Khan’s alleged audio conversation as prime minister with his principal secretary was leaked.

On October 07, 2022, two alleged audio conversations of Khan as the PM were leaked. More than three weeks later, an alleged audio conversation of Ali Amin Gandapur, the incumbent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, was leaked. On December 08, 2022, an alleged conversation between one of the petitioners and PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari was leaked.

In the order, the Islamabad High Court has sought a report from the federal government within six weeks over the operation of a surveillance system in the country.

It mentioned the Lawful Interception Management System, a mass surveillance system, through which two per cent of all telecom consumers in Pakistan can be surveyed without any judicial or executive oversight.

According to the data available on the PTA website, there are approximately 192 million mobile cellular subscribers, approximately 2.5 million fixed telecom service subscribers and approximately 136 million broadband subscribers.

“A rough estimation reflects that at any given time over 4 million citizens, who are subscribers of licensed telecom services, can be surveilled through the LIMS that has been installed on the directions of PTA.”