Daily Times

The vicious onslaught of audio leaks continues even on the most precarious of days. Dreaded videos with a black background, and green soundwaves, punctuated with subtitles, of various stalwarts from the opposition camp started making rounds in the wake of an appalling act of vandalism.

The PTI leaders can seemingly be heard crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s of a so-called masterplan to attack the Lahore Corps Commander’s House. As the government mouthpieces are desperately trying to turn the narrative around, the accused remain steadfast in their claims of suffering from a “doctored” campaign.

For quite some time, politicians have languished at the receiving end of these breaches of fundamental rights to poverty. May it be Benazir Bhutto being shown the door, the sensational bugging of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office or the seemingly endless stream of audio targetting the first-tier leadership of the PTI, politicians from all parties have repeatedly been compromised as a lethal combination of disinformation and twisted information manipulates the public perception against them. Quiet interestingly, those who pledge to wage a crusade against the notorious soundbites refuse to do anything substantial the minute Lady Luck shows them mercy. Former prime minister Imran Khan would do well to remember that during his time in the coveted office, he had chosen to justify the sweeping powers to record phone calls. Little to no legislation on curbing the authority or action against those brazenly twisting the phonecalls as a political tool was pursued.

While the legal admissibility of such audio clips is questionable (thanks to cases like ex-Judge Arshad Malik), the disturbing echoes on the street can still not be dismissed. In the latest example, PML(N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz is making serious accusations about the pre-planned training of “rioters” on the basis of these dramatic conversations.

There’s no denying the age of sensational audio leaks, but that calls for an even greater need for reason and restraint. That the winners of today may very easily find themselves on the short end of the rope should be understood by one and all. *