Supreme Court stays IHC order in audio leaks case

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court has stayed the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) orders in the audio leak case involving Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI chairman, and Najam Saqib, son of former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, local media reported on Monday.

The Supreme Court also restrained the IHC from further proceedings in the matter. A two-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Aminuddin heard the federal government's petition on the audio leaks.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court said that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) could not pursue the audio leak case. It held that the High Court's orders of May 29 and June 25 exceeded its jurisdiction and said that the IHC had no authority to take a decision on its own, local media reported.

At the request of the federal government, the Supreme Court requested the files of the audio leak case and issued summons to Najam Saqib and Bushra Bibi.

During the hearing, Justice Aminuddin Khan asked whether the IHC had ascertained who made the audio recording. The Deputy Attorney General replied that it had not been ascertained yet and the investigation was still underway.