Amid tensions between Pakistan Chief Justice and govt this phone call leak sparks controversy

An alleged phone call between Pakistan's Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial’s mother-in-law, Mah Jabeen Noon and the opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) lawyer Khawaja Tariq Rahim’s wife, Rafia Tariq was leaked on Sunday and the two women were heard criticising the Shehbaz Sharif government.

The viral audio clip, which is doing rounds over social media, has created a controversy in Pakistan.

In the phone call the two women are heard supporting the Chief Justice and also discuss holding of snap elections in Pakistan.

Umar's mother-in-law Noon is heard saying that she has been very worried for the safety of Umar and has been praying for him.

Rafia Tariq further extends her support and talks about how many people are praying and are in support of the Chief Justice with a rift going on between the Supreme Court of the country and the government. She adds, there might be hundered and thousands across cities supporting him.

Tariq further adds, “His safety is very important.”

The two also talk about Umar's right to take suo moto action and how the objection to it is not fair since many chief justices before him have enjoyed this right.

On the call, Tariq is also heard calling the opponents traitors. She says, “May allah strenthen him and make others blind. They are traitors of this country. Look at the way they are doing it.”

Towards the end of the call, the duo is heard talking about how elections should be held at the earliest possible date.

As reported by Pakistani news outlet, The News, Rafia says that if the elections weren't held then there would be martial law and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government cannot stay.

To this, Noon responded that they were not even ready to impose martial law and Rafia says that they were ready.

There has been constant infighting between the government of Pakistan and the Supreme Court for the past few weeks.

In the first week of April, a three-judge bench of the country's Supreme Court had announced that the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to delay- the elections in Pakistan's Punjab province till October was “unconsitutional” and had fixed May 14 as the polling date.

After this, the National Assembly of Pakistan had passed a resolution rejecting Supreme Court's judgement. Shehbaz Sharif had also said that the apex court's judgement was a mockery of constitution and law and could not be implemented.

After this, several calls were made for the Chief justice to resign from his position, escalating the tensions in the country.

Several Minsiters and politicians have responded to the audio clip.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (Federal Minister) Attaullah Tarar posted the clip on Twitter saying, “When I heard this audio on social media, I was sure that the conspiracy is deep. Constitution and law have been trampled for the sake of families. The families of Chief Sahib and two colleagues are trying to bring Imran Niazi to power by holding early elections along with attending the meetings.”

The Interior Minister of Pakistan Rana SanaUllah Khan on Twitter expressed his concern about the audio clip saying that every Pakistani was worried about the conversation going on in the auio. He further asked the Supreme Court to take suo moto notice and for the audio to be urgently forensically audited.

He added, “Housewives are usually apolitical and especially don't discuss issues like the one discussed in this audio about an important national issue, the election case, which is being heard in the judiciary and is serious. is of nature.”

Pakistan's politician Taimur Khan Jhagra also tweeted regarding the audio clip saying, “The audio leak culture is now brutally exposing the organisations that seem to be recording everyone's conversations; the PDM govt that has revelled in them; and the journalists who are still touting them. Every fault line in Pakistan's culture of misgovernance is brutally exposed… Clearly, it is now time for the courts to take a black and white position on these illegal recordings and leaks. What passes for governance in this country in the PDM govt cannot take this country forward.”

Senior PTI leader Ch Fawad Hussain also tweeted, “When the audio of the Prime Minister's Office and Prime Minister's House were released and we repeatedly requested the Supreme Court to look into this series, it is disastrous if the office of the Prime Minister of the country is so insecure that every meeting is being recorded there. Who will be safe? In which civilized country is this role of agencies?”