Court fines FIA, PTA, PEMRA Rs. 500,000 each

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday fined FIA, PTA, and PEMRA Rs500,000 each while also dismissing their petitions regarding Justice Babar Sattar’s recusal from the audio leaks case.

Last week, PEMRA filed a petition asking that Justice Babar recuse himself from hearing the case.

At least four departments filed the applications and said that petitions of Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s wife, and former CJP Saqib Nisar’s son Najamul Saqib should be placed before the same bench that had decided an identical matter in 2021.

Justice Sattar had been hearing the audio leaks case ever since it surfaced in 2023.

Now interestingly, the applications by the four departments came after a letter by six IHC judges, including Babar Sattar, was written to the Supreme Judicial Council alleging interference by spy agencies in judicial matters.

Separately, on April 28, a press release was published by the IHC condemning the “malicious campaign against Justice Babar Sattar” on social media.

Allegations of dual citizenship and Sattar’s mother’s business enterprises abound. However, the IHC wholly defended Justice Babar Sattar saying that “confidential information” of the judge has been posted on social media.