ISLAMABAD: A 10-member committee has been set up by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, speaker of the National Assembly, to ascertain the authenticity of an audio conversation that allegedly features a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) ticket hopeful and the son of former chief justice Saqib Nisar.
The audio clip, shared on Twitter by a pro-government commentator, appears to suggest that Najam Saqib demanded a “reward” for ensuring Abuzar Chadhar was granted a PTI ticket for the election to the parliament of Punjab.
The development came a day after Maryam Nawaz, senior vice president of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N), accused Nisar of orchestrating the ouster of her father Nawaz Sharif.
She had also said the contents of recently leaked calls that had featured the former chief justice were “important” because they discussed actions that could “decide the nation’s fate.”
The motion on Wednesday to authorise the speaker to constitute the committee was approved by the lower house of parliament after a number of lawmakers called for action against those who facilitated Imran Khan.
The National Assembly Secretariat issued a circular announcing the committee — headed by Aslam Bhootani, a Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) lawmaker — will conduct a thorough investigation and inquiry of the said audio leaks and present a comprehensive report to the National Assembly.
The committee will be assisted by “any investigative agency” as deemed necessary.
