ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday formed a five-member larger bench to hear the audio leaks case.
Sources said that the bench would be chaired by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah. Justices Yahya Afridi, Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Mandokhel, and Musrrat Hilali will be its members.
Sources indicated that the hearing for the audio leaks case is expected to be scheduled in the coming week. It is to be recalled that the Supreme Court had overturned the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) order and barred it from conducting any further proceedings in the audio leaks case of former first lady Bushra Bibi and son of former chief justice Saqib Nasir, Najam Saqib. A two-member bench, headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan and also having Justice Naeem Akhtar Af-ghan, heard the case on the application filed by the federal government against the June 25 verdict of the IHC.
At the beginning of the hearing, Justice Khan asked if the IHC had found out who was doing the re-cordings. The deputy attorney general replied that it was still unknown.
“Unfortunately no one wants to reach the truth in this country. An inquiry commission was formed which was given a stay by the apex court. But the case was never fixed again for hearing in the Su-preme Court”, the court said.
“Parliament also tried to find the truth but it couldn’t. If courts and parliament are not allowed to un-earth the truth, then who will do that?” asked Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
Later, the apex court accepted appeals of the federal government and suspended the IHC order of May 29 and June 25 citing overstepping from its constitutional ambit while seeking a record of the au-dio leak case. –Agencies
