Proceedings of judicial commission digging into audio leaks to be publicised

A judicial commission, formed to dig into the audio leaks, has begun proceedings, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Monday.

According to the written order, the commission proceedings will be made public.  It added the panel will not exercise the powers of the Supreme Judicial Council. It will work under the Commissions of Inquiry Act 2016.

It continued: “If sensitive information is received and requested, the jury can go for in-camera proceedings and the person or witnesses appearing before the commission will not be considered accused.

“All persons involved will be treated with due respect and expected to uphold the same in their replies. We are only here to find facts, not take action against anyone.”

“While the commission will remain open to receiving relevant information from any person who wishes to provide it, the provider must identify themselves clearly. Any information received from anonymous persons will not be taken into consideration.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa is heading the commission consisting of Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan. It will hold its proceedings every Saturday.

Reportedly, Justice Qazi Faez specified that among the list of parties before the commission are two elderly women and to accommodate them - if such a plea is filed - the judicial commission may travel to Lahore.  He directed the AGP to determine the relevant agency for verification of the audio and inform the commission, adding that the Punjab Forensic Science Agency may be used for this purpose.

The commission issued directives for new SIM cards and mobile phones to be issued for correspondence and the numbers and a specific email address should be made public so that anyone and everyone may provide relevant information to the commission.

Names and addresses of all persons related to the matter have also been sought.

The jury issued directives to inform all parties about the proceedings and serves notices while the confirmation should be provided to the bench in the form of a photograph or signature of the recipient.

The commission has the authority to issue summons to parties that fail to comply with the proceedings and government officials are too bound to comply.

The jury will give an opportunity for cross-examination to the persons raising objections during the proceedings.

Hafizullah Khajak, Deputy Registrar at Balochistan High Court, has been posted as the commission secretary and the next meeting of the commission will be held on May 27 at 10 am.