Justice Babar Sattar dismisses applications from regulatory authorities

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has made a significant decision by dismissing the applications filed by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) seeking the recusal of Justice Babar Sattar from a case related to audio leaks. The IHC bench not only rejected the pleas but also imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on each of the organizations, hinting at possible contempt proceedings against them.

Justice Babar Sattar, presiding over a single bench of IHC, dismissed the applications during the hearing of petitions related to audio leaks involving individuals like former Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar’s son Mian Najam-us-Saqib and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra. Additionally, in response to a similar application filed by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Justice Sattar summoned the IB's joint director for the next hearing.

Last week, PEMRA, PTA, FIA, and the Intelligence Bureau had separately requested that the case be heard by a different bench due to alleged interference by intelligence agencies in judicial matters. The court questioned the relevance of such claims, particularly in connection to the FIA's involvement in the case.

Justice Sattar highlighted that the judges' support for claims made by IHC Justice (retd) Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui should not be misconstrued as complaints against intelligence agencies. The decision by IHC to uphold Justice Sattar's position in the case underscores the court's commitment to impartiality and adherence to legal procedures.