Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, after conducting an inquiry with the Supreme Court’s IT staff, confirmed that the audio conversation allegedly featuring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and judges was not leaked from the Supreme Court. The IT staff indicated that some voices in the audio did not belong to the court, suggesting external origins.
The audio, which surfaced during the second hearing of a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendment case, was widely circulated on social media. Despite the commotion, Justice Athar Minallah remarked that there was no significant issue if the audio was leaked since the conversation occurred in an open court.
In a related incident, a picture of Imran Khan from Courtroom No 1 was leaked during the first hearing of the NAB amendment case. The image, showing the former prime minister appearing via video link from Adiala Jail, quickly went viral on social media.
Separately, Chief Justice Isa administered the oath to the newly elected cabinet members of the Press Association of Supreme Court (PAS) at the Supreme Court’s Judges Block. The ceremony was attended by Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan and Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Athar Minallah, and Naeem Akhtar Afghan. The PAS cabinet includes President Mian Aqeel Afzal, Vice President Ghulam Nabi Yousafzai, Finance Secretary Raja Basharat, Ikramullah Joya, Asia Kausar, Mian Abid Nisar, and General Secretary Imran Waseem.
During an informal discussion with PAS members, Chief Justice Isa shared his past experiences in writing and mentioned his mother, Saeeda Qazi Isa, who also wrote articles. He emphasized the importance of research in writing, contrasting past practices with today’s quick communication methods. He acknowledged the challenges of court reporting and reminisced about his role in compiling and publishing media laws.
He concluded by quoting sentences from the book “First You Write a Sentence,” emphasizing that “Good writing requires a cool eye and an open heart” and that “Reading is also important to write well.”