Web desk: The Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has filed an intra-court appeal against his removal from office.
The appeal challenges the Islamabad High Court’s decision to unseat him from the post. It has been submitted under the 1972 Ordinance.
The appellant, Major General (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman, is the current PTA chairman. He was first appointed as Member (Administration) on May 24, 2023, and elevated to chairman the following day, May 25, 2023.
Rehman has maintained that he has been performing his duties in line with the laws and regulations. The appeal has been filed to validate the legality of his appointment as chairman.
Earlier in the day, Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court announced a reserved judgment ordering his removal from the position.
Justice Babar Sattar of the IHC issued a 99-page judgment declaring Rehman’s appointment as PTA chairman unlawful.
The court ruled that the recruitment process for the post “lacked integrity” and suffered from “malafide in law.”
The judgment read “The subsequent steps taken by the federal government in filling the post of Member (Administration) pursuant to the impugned advertisement are not sustainable in the eyes of law and are of no legal effect.”
In his petition, the PTA chairman also requested the court to take up his appeal for an urgent hearing.
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