ISLAMABAD: Garret Discovery, a US-based firm that conducted a forensic analysis of the alleged audio clip of former chief justice Saqib Nisar, has said that it was commissioned by the FactFocus website for examination of the clip and that the certificate was issued after professional requirements were met.
This alleged audio clip of the former chief justice suggests that ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were disqualified and jailed in violation of the law, to pave the way for Imran Khan and his party PTI to come to power.
The release of the audio tape Sunday night caused a storm across the country, with some defending the audio clip while others criticising Justice (retd) Saqib Nisar.
PTI ministers and supporters of the former chief justice have termed the audio as fake and an attack on the country’s institutions. Nisar, the former chief justice of Pakistan, immediately dismissed the audio as fake, saying the leaked clip was doctored.
Then, on Monday night, a private TV channel released a new clip, some parts of which showed that Nisar’s audio in the FactFocus story was the same as some of the words featured in the clip were the same he had used during a speech in Islamabad in 2018.
However, certain damning parts of the audio relating to the Sharifs have not been disputed yet.
Despite claims that the audio is fake, FactFocus insists it is authentic and was forensically tested as genuine and unedited, Geo News reported.
It is understood that the forensic lab was asked to test the audio tape for any sort of editing, which includes additions, deletions or interventions by other software.
Garret Discovery confirmed providing a certificate to its client FactFocus, the spokesman of the firm said, adding, “We did work for FactFocus.”
When asked what was the task and the scope of the work that was assigned to the forensic laboratory, the spokesman said that Garret Discovery was not authorised to release parts of the forensic report to anyone without express consent from its client.
“As part of our standard agreement we have a confidentiality clause that prohibits us from speaking about the scope of work or the work we performed,” said the Garret Discovery spokesperson.
“We have no problem releasing details as long as our client signs an agreement allowing us to do so. Please contact FactFocus with any inquiries as to the work we performed and discuss with them any release of information. We will not comment anymore on this issue until that time,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Noorani said that Garret Discovery had confirmed that the audio tape was authentic and that it had not been edited. The report was issued after a professional examination, he said.
Noorani said the authenticity of the tape was first confirmed through his own sources and means. He said when it was proven to be genuine only then Garret Discovery was hired for the formal certification of the audio tape.
“We knew that attempts would be made to discredit our investigation to save Nisar, so we got the forensic analysis done in advance from a leading US laboratory,” he disclosed.
“We released it along with the audio on our platforms after the lab certified its genuineness on all counts. Nisar and others, who think the audio is not genuine, are free to take legal action against me. I would welcome such action anywhere where the courts are not controlled,” he added.
Transcription of the Audio clip
The original audio released by FactFocus carried the following alleged audio of Saqib Nisar, making damning statements on how Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz were jailed in 2018:
“Saqib Nisar: Let me be a little blunt about it; unfortunately, here it is the ‘institutions’ who dictate judgments. In this case, we will have to penalize Mian Sahib. And ‘they’ say, “we shall bring Khan Sahib.” Regardless of the merit, we will have to do it, and even to his daughter.
“Other person: But, in my view, his daughter doesn’t merit a sentence.
“Saqib Nisar: You are absolutely correct. I did talk to “friends” that something should be done about this but they did not agree. There will be no independence of the judiciary, so let it be…”
Read more: Alleged audio-tape of Saqib Nisar: ‘US firm confident of tape’s integrity’
