ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet has summoned Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director General Aftab Sultan on October 18 over the “continuous practice” of telephone tapping despite clear directives from various parliamentary bodies to stop bugging phones of politicians and important personalities.
According to sources within the Senate Secretariat, the committee would meet at Parliament House on Tuesday, with Senator Talha Mehmood in the chair. The committee will discuss the performance of the IB, with particular reference to tapping of telephones of politicians, ministers and heads of different institutions.
The committee will also discuss a seven-point agenda, while the IB DG has been issued a notice to attend the meeting in person and brief the lawmakers on telephone tapping despite clear directives from the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control and other parliamentary bodies in the past, said sources. Sources told Daily Times that some members of the parliament, including some ministers, had complained that their telephones were being tapped, on which the Senate committee took notice and decided to take a briefing from the IB head to get things cleared.
The Intelligence Bureau’s role in the security of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), verification of Computerised National Identity Cards by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and missing persons would also be discussed in the meeting.