Pakistani government officially allowed top spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence ISI to tap telephone calls and messages, and the country’s law and defence ministers called it ‘nothing new’.
Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif have both defended the federal cabinet’s decision to authorize call-tracing capabilities for Pakistan’s premier spy agency.
Tarar stressed phone tapping over the past 28 years, citing its necessity in counter-terrorism efforts. Meanwhile, Khawaja Asif underscored the critical role of phone tapping in combating terrorism, dismissing objections from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as politically motivated.
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been empowered under a new circular to intercept and trace communications, underlining heightened national security measures amid ongoing social media regulations and digital rights amendments.
