After extensive audio leaks of the Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and the former PM Imran Khan were offered for sale on the dark web, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) was instructed to launch an investigation into the purported bugging of the PM House.
The leaks have generated controversy because they involve both face-to-face and telephone discussions.
One of the leaks revealed a conversation between PM Sharif and Dr. Tauqeer Shah, his principal secretary, in which he is urged to assist Raheel Munir, who is?Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law, with importing machinery for power plants from India and building a grid station in his housing society. In this regard, PM Sharif requested that Munir handle the situation in the?national way.
In other leaked audio recordings, Maryam Nawaz is heard criticizing the performance of Finance Minister Miftah Ismail in light of the rising inflation. She also discussed the declining health of former President Pervez Musharraf and requested permission from the prime minister for him to return Pakistan if anything comes up.
It is important to note that the PM’s office and residence compound are routinely searched for bugging devices in compliance with the IB’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). It should be noted that this organization is primarily in charge of ensuring the safety of the premier, his office, and his home.
In Pakistan, there have been a number of documented spying occurrences. In 2010, important institutions in Islamabad’s Red Zone were bugged by foreign missions and their agents using cutting-edge technology. With the use of rays, the aforementioned technology may listen in on a private meeting that is taking place half a kilometre away.
Furthermore, in order to spy on the Federal Cabinet meeting in December 2009, security organizations discovered such a device on the premises of the PM’s Secretariat. Similar incidents caused a special cabinet meeting under former PM Yousaf Raza Gillani to be delayed by two hours in September of the same year.
Massive PM House Security Breach Leaks Sensitive Audio Clips
Last month, a hack on the Prime Minister House resulted in the audio recordings of confidential discussions between government officials being made public. A conversation between Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, Maryam Nawaz, the head of the PML-N, and a few federal cabinet officials is captured on tape.
The audio clips show the above-mentioned officials having casual talks in the PM Office. They apparently contain a talk about Maryam Nawaz, vice president of the PML-N, requesting for the importation of an Indian power plant for her son-in-law.