LHC restores Lt Gen Munir Afsar appointment as NADRA chairman

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday restored the appointment of Lieutenant General Munir Afsar as chairman of the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA).

A single-member Lahore High Court (LHC) bench nullified Lieutenant General Munir Afsar’s appointment as NADRA chairman in response to a petition filed by Ashba Kamran, challenging his appointment of October 2.

The petitioner argued that the caretaker government had overstepped its authority by amending the NADRA Act to appoint a serving army officer and that such a move was not permissible under the law.

Following the court’s verdict, the Attorney General on behalf of the federal government challenged the judgment to reinstate the chairman Nadra. A two-member bench of LHC headed by Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal took up the plea and suspended the single-member bench’s ruling.

During the hearing, the state lawyer argued that the petitioner had never challenged the new rules in the Nadra laws as he had only challenged the appointment notification issued by the then-caretaker government.

The court has issued notices to the respondents for their response in the case.