By Asif Naveed
ISLAMABAD; The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has restored Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeez ur Rehman by suspending the earlier decision of Justice Babar Sattar, which had declared his appointment null and void.
A division bench comprising Justice Muhammad Asif and Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas heard the intra-court appeal filed on behalf of the PTA chairman, challenging his removal. The appeal argued that the order to annul the appointment and declare the position illegal was unjustified and legally flawed.Counsel for the PTA chairman, Qasim Wadood, contended that striking down the relevant rules had destabilized the entire structure of the PTA. He further stated that the position of “Member Administration,” created through legislation, was wrongly declared illegal.
He also highlighted that the Attorney General was not issued a notice under Section 27-A, and that multiple applications raising objections were filed but not decided upon.
At this point, Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas questioned how PTA itself could be considered an aggrieved party in the case.
Additional Attorney General along with other lawyers also appeared before the court during the hearing. After reviewing the arguments, the court suspended Justice Babar Sattar’s verdict and reinstated Major General (retd) Hafeez ur Rehman as the PTA chairman.
