The federal government has authorized Pakistan’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to intercept phone calls and messages “in the interest of national security,”

a notification issued on Monday said, adding to the already outsized role and powers of the shadowy military outfit.

The issue of surveillance by spy agencies came into the spotlight after audio clips, including those of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Khan, were released on social media in the lead-up to the February 8 general elections.

Bushra and others filed petitions in the Islamabad High Court challenging the unauthorized surveillance and privacy violations. During the course of the hearings, it was revealed that the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) .

had mandated telecom companies to finance, import, and install a mass surveillance system to access citizens’ data.