Former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar’s leaked audio was reportedly ‘pieced together’

ISLAMABAD:-An audio clip is being associated with former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar in which he is allegedly talking to some other person about the trial of former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and her daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

The audio clip was uploaded to the internet by Fact Focus, which is “a Pakistan-based digital media news organisation working on data-based investigative news stories,” according to the bio on its website.

#FactFocus Exclusive :
Saqib Nisar, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, ordered to sentence Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz as "institutions" wanted to bring Imran Khan to power.
Fact Focus Youtube Video Linkhttps://t.co/AQZW3s5R3Z pic.twitter.com/oPFdTGt8S1

— #FactFocus (@FactFocusFF) November 21, 2021

In the audio clip, former CJP Nisar is allegedly saying, “Let me be a little blunt about it, unfortunately, we have institutions who give judgments.”

“In this case [the trial of Nawaz Sharif and her daughter] we will have to penalize Nawaz Sharif as we have been told that Imran Khan is to be brought to power.”

The person purported to be CJP Nisar further adds that Maryam Nawaz Sharif must also be handed punishment irrespective of merit.

Speaking to media outlets, the former CJP termed the audio clip as “fabricated.” He said either the voice was not his or the clip has been produced by stitching together clips from his speeches. “I have never said that to anyone,” he says.

Fact Focus has said that it obtained the audio clip two months ago and had it examined by Garret Discovery, an American firm specializing in multimedia forensics.

According to Fact Focus, the firm’s analysis report has certified that the audio clip has not been edited in any way.

The Fact Focus report quotes former CJP Nisar as saying that he had never contacted any judge of an accountability court to order them to announce a verdict against Nawaz or Maryam.

“Why I would do that?” Nisar asked, according to the report. “I have no grudges against Mian Nawaz Sharif.”

The audio is “pieced together”

According to a tv report the said audio clip appears to be pieced together from two separate speeches of former CJP Nisar.

The two speeches were made by former CJP Nisar on January 22, 2018, and February 22, 2018. The former speech was made in an address to a judicial conference, while the latter was made while addressing a ceremony of Islamabad High Court Bar.

Some phrases in the audio clip are exact matches with parts of speeches the former CJP did on the two occasions.

When News channel contacted Garret Discovery, the firm which authenticated the audio clip, their representatives refused to comment on the development.

Reactions to the leaked audio

Speaking to Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry appreciated the efforts.he said that there is no doubt left now and everything is clear.

“It is unfortunate that whenever Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz’s cases are set to be heard by the courts, similar leaks appear in the media to discredit our judicial system. This is done by PMLN,” said Chaudhry.

“This has been done on the behest of Maryam Nawaz Sharif and an investigation must be conducted into this matter.”

Senior PMLN leader Mian Javed Latif said that he is not concerned whether the audiotape is real or fake.

“I am more concerned about what Ali Ahmed Kurd said about the judiciary at the Asma Jehangir Conference,” said Latif.

“Was there any investigation on the statement of Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui? Was the audio of Judge Arshad Malik investigated?”

Earlier, reacting to the leaked audio clip, Pakistan Muslim League N President Shehbaz Sharif said that the “new audio clip of former Chief Justice shows how Nawaz Sharif & Maryam Nawaz were targeted as part of a grand scheme to keep them out of the political process.”

The emergence of a new audio clip of former Chief Justice shows how Nawaz Sharif & Maryam Nawaz were targeted as part of a grand scheme to keep them out of political process. Time has come to right the wrongs inflicted on them. The nation looks forward to justice system.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) November 22, 2021

He tweeted, “time has come to right the wrongs inflicted on them. The nation looks forward to justice system.”