PTA Chairman Hafeez-ur-Rehman reinstated

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reinstated Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman, Major General (R) Hafeez-ur-Rehman, ARY News reported.

The PTA Chairman has requested the court to annul the decision of the single bench and suspend its order until the final verdict on the appeal.

According to reports, a division bench comprising Justice Muhammad Asif and Justice Inam Amin Minhas presided over the hearing.

PTA Chairman’s counsel, Qasim Wadood, appeared before the court and argued that the writ petition was based on the claim that his client could not be appointed as a PTA member and that the position had been advertised incorrectly.

The lawyer maintained that the relevant rules had been amended with the cabinet’s approval, following which the appointment was made.

He further noted that the rules had already been changed on March 25, prior to the filing of the petition.

The court, after hearing the arguments, reinstated the PTA chairman to his office.

It may be recalled that Justice Babar Sattar, presiding over a single bench, had accepted a petition against the PTA Chairman yesterday.

the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the immediate removal of Major General (R) Hafeez-ur-Rehman from the post of Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), declaring his appointment illegal.

Also read: IHC orders removal of PTA chairman Major General (R) Hafeez-ur-Rehman

Justice Babar Sattar announced the verdict and issued a comprehensive 99-page judgment.

The court found that the process leading to the PTA chairman’s appointment as Member (Administration) and subsequently as Chairman PTA was unconstitutional and unlawful, describing it as the result of malice in law.

The IHC observed that the creation of the post of member administration and the tailoring of its qualifications to accommodate Hafeez-ur-Rehman amounted to a mala fide exercise of power.

The court ordered that Major General (R) Hafeez-ur-Rehman must immediately relinquish his position and cease to hold any office within the PTA.