One thing is certain: conversations in the PMO were somehow recorded. Whether it was via outside phones brought into the PMO or via bugs, the highest office in the democratic setup appears to be alarmingly vulnerable to such a security lapse.
The fact that the walls have ears was hardly a secret in Pakistan’s power circles. That has become abundantly clear in light of the recent “audio leaks” involving the Prime Minister’s Office. At a press conference yesterday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif cleared the air about the leaks, admitting that they are critical and represent a serious security breach. The government has made no denials about the audio recordings, and the prime minister has now spoken out about the content of the clips. One thing is certain: conversations in the PMO were somehow recorded. Whether it was via outside phones brought into the PMO or via bugs, the highest office in the democratic setup appears to be alarmingly vulnerable to such a security lapse. PM Shehbaz is correct in stating that Pakistan’s international standing is jeopardized because no one would feel free to speak with the prime minister due to privacy concerns. The fact that such audio files of the country’s highest office have been ‘leaked’ on the internet must be of great concern to all security officials. The prime minister has announced the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the matter.
In the recent past, there have been numerous audio and video leaks of high-level government officials and others involved in government matters. While one side may use the other side’s audio calls to settle political scores, such leaks are not good for Pakistan’s national security. For decades, the political class has claimed that nothing they say is private because it is being “heard” somewhere. If these audios were indeed recorded somewhere sensitive, it must be determined whether they were “hacked” or “leaked”. If these audios are the result of people bringing in compromised phones into the PM’s Office, then security at all levels of government must be tightened. All of these scenarios and possibilities have different connotations, but they must all be investigated and heads must roll no matter what the investigations reveal. If they were hacked, it implies that the country’s cyber security is also in jeopardy. If the audio files were intentionally leaked in order to embarrass the government, it indicates that politics is at work, and it is equally, if not more, dangerous that such sensitive conversations-even if they did not violate any laws-can be brought into the public domain for vested interests.
While it is unclear what type of surveillance resulted in the release of this audio data, it is also worth noting that, unfortunately, successive governments have shown apathy whenever civil society and rights activists have discussed privacy concerns and raised the issue of surveillance. When Imran Khan was prime minister, he even claimed that surveillance was carried out for the ‘protection’ and security of government officials and public office holders. Foreign powers, political rivals, and the security apparatus have all used surveillance as a means of espionage. In either case, it serves little purpose other than ‘blackmail’ or maintaining an advantage over citizens, and it is a culture that must end immediately. Everyone, whether a ‘ordinary citizen’ or the highest official of the land, must feel safe in the privacy of their homes or workplaces that what they say is confined to the ears of those to whom they are speaking and is not being recorded somewhere behind the shadows.
