ISI allowed to record conversations about national security

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has authorised the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to tap phones and record conversations about national security, counterterrorism and crime prevention.

According to several media houses like Samaa and Aaj TV, the ISI has been given the authorisation under section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Act.

They said the ministry of Information Technology and telecommunications has issued a notification, which says an officer of at least 18th grade will be appointed for this task. The ISI has thus been given the authorisation to trace messages, calls and messages in any digital medium of communication in this regard.

The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been formulated, allowing ISI and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to obtain directly from service providers.