IHC suspends single-bench order, reinstates PTA chairman

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) division bench on Thursday suspended the single-bench order of removal of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Hafeez ur Rehman from his post.

A two-member division bench heard the intra-court appeals filed by the federal government, the PTA, and the removed chairman.

During the hearing, Advocate Qasim Wadood appeared on behalf of retired Major General Hafeez Ur Rehman. Additional Attorney General and other officials also appeared before the court.

Advocate Qasim Wadud appeared on behalf of Hafeez Ur Rehman before the court.

During the proceedings, PTA’s counsel Advocate Salman Mansoor raised serious procedural objections to the earlier ruling. “The single-bench decision granted relief that wasn’t even sought in the petition,” Mansoor told the court.

After hearing arguments, the court suspended Babar Sattar’s ruling and reinstated Hafeez Ur Rehman as PTA chairman.

Earlier, the single division bench ordered the removal of the Chairman PTA, Major General (r) Hafeez-ur-Rehman, from office.

The court ordered the immediate removal of the PTA chief, and a senior member of PTA should be appointed as the Chairman of PTA temporarily.

IHC Justice Babar Sattar reserved the decision and issued a 99-page written decision today.

The earlier judgment by Justice Sattar pointed out that the advertisement for the post, issued on March 28, 2023, had been published at a time when no such position legally existed. Later amendments to the PTA Appointment Rules in May 2023 were deemed insufficient to regularise the appointment process.

Justice Sattar observed that the recruitment process “suffered fr­om malice in law” and appeared to have been tailored to accommodate a specific individual.

The prescription of a higher age limit of 61 years for the post, compared with 57 years for other members, was cit­ed as further proof of malafide intent.