The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has granted the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) the authority to intercept and trace calls in the “interest of national security,” according to an official notification. Issued on Monday, the ministry’s statement—of which Dawn.com has a copy—indicates that this authorisation was provided to the ISI under Section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act, 1996.
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This authority is vested upon ISI officers of Grade 18 or above, subject to approval by the Prime Minister.
On June 30, Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court, son of former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and Bushra Bibi, stated in the judgement of the Audio Leaks case that any form of surveillance of citizens is illegal under the law, including the surveillance of four million citizens.
The responsibility for this mass surveillance lies with the federal government, and the Prime Minister and the cabinet are collectively and individually accountable for it.
The court order also expressed the expectation that the Prime Minister would seek reports from intelligence agencies and present the matter before the cabinet. The order further directed the Prime Minister to identify those responsible for implementing the lawful Interception Management System and conducting mass surveillance, with reports to be submitted by July 5.
