Federal Government authorises ISI to record, trace calls

The federal government of Pakistan has granted permission to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to intercept phone calls in the interest of national security across any telecommunications system, and apprehension of criminal activities.

According to a government notification, ISI has been authorised to record phone calls under Section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Act, 1996.

The notification also grants the agency authority to trace messages and calls including WhatsApp calls, messages, and other applications.

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 stated in the judgement of the Audio Leaks case of son of former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and Bushra Bibi 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.