A new audio leak fuels the debate regarding the top judges.

The ongoing issue surrounding the nation’s senior judges got more fuel when a new audio leak, purportedly of a phone call between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry and his brother Advocate Faisal Chaudhry, surfaced on Friday.

Three judges are mentioned in the purported chat between Fawad and Faisal: Justice Mazahir Ali Naqvi of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, and Chief Judge of Lahore High Court Muhammad Ameer Bhatti.

“The CJ Lahore is asking for a general [meeting] with Bandial to be arranged,” a voice allegedly of Fawad is heard saying which is affirmed by another voice purportedly of Faisal in the phone call.

“Also, meet Mazahir through Mr Dar and tell him that a loaded truck is standing in your name, tell us what we should do with it,” the PTI leader reportedly said before adding that “my own personal recommendation is that after doing three or four suits on Tarar, he should be given [Section] 228 there so that they come under some pressure at least”.

To this, Faisal is allegedly heard assuring his brother that he will look into the matter the next day and “after asking them” he would “take care of it”.

It may be noted that Faisal is a prominent lawyer representing the PTI in several cases.

Hours after the audio went viral on social media this morning, Fawad tweeted rejecting the clip as “another fake audio”.

“This audio has nothing to do with me, nor did I ever meet the chief justice of Lahore, nor did I ask him to help Justice Mazahir,” he stated.

However, social media was seen ablaze with the rumour mill churning.

This is the third audio leak since February which has left the judicial system under serious pressure.

Also Read: Three former SC judges licences will be revoked by PBC.

Pervez Elahi, the soon-to-be president of the PTI, is said to have made two audio clips that are at the centre of the controversy. The calls for the apex court to launch an investigation into the matter and dispel the alarming perception that the judiciary is “under the question mark” have been made since the audio clips first surfaced.

A short time later, a new audio recording purportedly depicting PTI politician Yasmin Rashid and Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar had surfaced on social media. In the audio clip, a man is heard indicating that he has “his man” at the supreme court.

While top lawyers’ bodies, including the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) have announced filing separate complaints of misconduct in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against a SC judge after the audio leaks surfaced, the apex court is yet to form a unanimous opinion on the matter.