After lengthy audio leaks of PM Shehbaz Sharif and former PM Imran Khan were put up for sale onto the dark web, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) was directed to launch an investigation into the alleged bugging of the Prime Minister (PM) House.
The leaks have sparked controversy because they include both telephone and face-to-face conversations.
One of the leaks revealed a conversation between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Principal Secretary, Dr. Tauqeer Shah, in which he is asked to assist Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law, Raheel Munir, in importing power plant machinery from India and installing a grid station in his housing society. In this regard, PM Sharif directed Munir to handle the situation in a “national manner.”
The above-mentioned conversation, according to the News, took place face-to-face, indicating an alleged bugging device in the PM House.
Meanwhile, in other leaked audios, Maryam Nawaz is heard complaining to Prime Minister about Finance Minister Miftah Ismail’s performance in the face of rising inflation. She also mentioned former President Pervez Musharraf’s deteriorating health and asked the Prime Minister to allow him to visit Pakistan if the need arose.
It is worth noting that the PM’s office and residential compound are routinely searched for bugging devices in accordance with the IB’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
It should be noted that it is the primary agency in charge of the security of the premier, his office, and his residence.
Several occurrences of spying have been documented in Pakistan. In 2010, foreign missions and their agents used cutting-edge technology to bug sensitive institutions in Islamabad’s Red Zone.
The mentioned technology uses rays to listen in on a closed-door meeting half a kilometre away.
Furthermore, intelligence services identified such a device on the premises of the PM’s Secretariat to conduct surveillance on Federal Cabinet’s meeting in December 2009. Similarly, in September of that year, a special cabinet meeting under former PM Yousaf Raza Gillani was deferred by two hours due the same reasons.
