Abid Zuberi, who serves as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (SCBA), has denied the authenticity of recent audio leaks that allegedly involve a former Punjab Chief Minister, Pervaiz Elahi, and an apex court judge.
Abid Zuberi stated that he had reviewed the audio recording and confirmed that it was doctored. The audio, which is circulating on social media, purportedly shows Zuberi conversing with Elahi, in which the latter is asking for assistance in influencing some proceedings in the Supreme Court.
However, Abid Zuberi clarified that the conversation with Elahi was regarding a case of his former principal secretary, Muhammad Khan Bhatti, which is being dealt with in the Sindh High Court and has nothing to do with any pending proceedings in the Supreme Court.
Abid Zuberi also asserted that the audio leak was a deliberate attempt to damage his credibility and to harm his efforts to lead the Bar's struggle for the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, democracy, and constitutionalism. He added that this doctored audio amounts to an attack on the independence of the judiciary.
Abid Zuberi's statement follows Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah's announcement that he had directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate Elahi over the latest audio leaks, which reportedly involve an apex court judge and the SCBAP President.
During a press conference in Islamabad, Sanaullah played the leaked audio clips without revealing the identity of the apex court judge and asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the matter.
The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), the apex regulatory body of lawyers, has also expressed its serious concerns over the audio leaks and demanded an investigation into the fixation of a case before a particular bench or a judge of the Supreme Court.
In a statement, the PBC Vice Chairman Haroonur Rashid and PBC Executive Committee Vice Chairman Hassan Raza Pasha emphasized the importance of maintaining the neutrality and impartiality of the honourable judges of the superior Judiciary.
They called for a thorough scrutiny and investigation into the audio that went viral on social media, and if the audio is found to be fake, then action should be taken against those who made it viral and prepared it. If the audio is found to be genuine, then the PBC demanded that action should be taken according to Article 209 of the Constitution.
