The Pakistan government has allowed the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to tap phones for national security and preventing crime. This permission comes under Section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Act.
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication issued an official notice in the gazette. According to this notice, an officer of at least grade 18 will oversee this activity. The notice also grants the authority to track calls, messages, and other forms of communication.
Last month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) decided that any phone tapping done without a proper legal process is considered ‘illegal’. The court rejected a request from the additional attorney general for a private hearing in the audio leaks case.
Justice Babar Sattar of the IHC oversaw the hearing for petitions filed by former first lady Bushra Bibi and ex-Chief Justice of Pakistan’s son Najam Saqib regarding the audio leaks.
During the hearing, Additional Attorney General Manoor Iqbal Dogal informed the court that the Ministry of Interior had set up a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). This SOP allowed intelligence agencies like ISI and IB to directly obtain data from service providers.
Justice Babar expressed concern that an SOP issued by a lower-ranking officer rather than the appropriate authority raises doubts about its legality.
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