The Pakistani government has given its spy agency permission to tap telephone calls and electronic messages in the name of “National Security.” This has sparked an angry response among opposition politicians who say it could lead to possible violation of privacy.
Pakistan’s government earlier this week announced that its military-run intelligence agency will be able to legally intercept calls and messages or to trace them through any telecom systems.
Local media say the country’s minister of law insists the measure would only be used in counterterrorism operations. The minister reportedly told parliament that the privacy of citizens would be protected.
But the move has sparked condemnation around the country.
Members of parliament from an opposition party, which is backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, are intensifying the debate over state surveillance and human rights.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent body, calls the move “unconstitutional” and says it is deeply concerned about the authorization in the name of “national security.”
Meanwhile, a citizen in Pakistan’s second largest city has challenged the measure in the Lahore High Court, citing a “serious invasion of individual privacy.”
Experts say the intelligence agency engaged in phone tapping in the past. But they say this new measure would provide a legal cover for such activities.