Islamabad High Court: PTA Chairman Restored, Single Bench Decision Suspended
Islamabad (Web News)
The Islamabad High Court has suspended Justice Babar Sattar’s decision that had removed the Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) from office.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Asif and Justice Inaam Amin Minhas heard the intra-court appeals filed by the PTA, the federal government, and the dismissed chairman against the earlier verdict.
PTA Chairman Major General (Retd.) Hafeez ur Rehman’s counsel Qasim Wadood, the Additional Attorney General, and others appeared before the court.
During the hearing, the Chairman’s lawyer Salman Mansoor argued that the court had granted relief that was not even sought in the petition. He said the PTA Chairman was removed without the rules being challenged and without notice being issued to the Attorney General, which was mandatory. He further submitted that relief not requested in the petition cannot be granted under Article 199 of the Constitution. He pointed out that even the court had noted that the arguments had not yet been concluded.
Justice Muhammad Asif, addressing the lawyer, remarked that he was given ample opportunity. The lawyer responded that two applications containing objections had been filed, but the decision was reserved without considering them. He added that arguments on the maintainability of the petition were still pending when the court declared the hearing concluded and reserved judgment—on a day when several lawyers were on leave.
Additional Attorney General Rashid Hafeez Advocate argued that the selection process involved competition among 64 candidates from across Pakistan, out of which 24 qualified. He said the eligibility criteria were strictly followed, and no candidate had approached the court. He further informed that before the post was advertised, the rules had been amended with the approval of the federal cabinet.
Subsequently, the Islamabad High Court restored PTA Chairman Major General (Retd.) Hafeez ur Rehman to his position.
It is worth mentioning that just a day earlier, Justice Babar Sattar had accepted a petition against the PTA Chairman and ordered his removal from office. Justice Babar Sattar had issued a 99-page reserved judgment, stating that the appointment of the PTA Chairman was not legally valid, and therefore, he should be removed immediately.