Islamabad (Web Desk): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday suspended the single-bench order issued by Justice Babar Sattar that had removed Major General (Retd.) Hafeez-ur-Rehman from the post of Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
During proceedings, counsel for the PTA Chairman, Salman Mansoor, argued that the order of removal was inconsistent with the scope of the petition, as the relief granted had not been sought by the petitioner.
He further contended that neither were the relevant rules challenged in the case, nor was notice served upon the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) , which, according to him, was a mandatory requirement but had not been fulfilled.
Additional Attorney General (AAG) Rashid Hafeez informed the bench that the appointment process for the office of Chairman had been conducted under rigorous criteria through a transparent competition.
"Out of 64 applicants, 24 had qualified, and the amendments to the rules governing the appointment had been duly approved by the federal cabinet," Hefeez informed the court.
After hearing the arguments, the court set aside the earlier removal and reinstated Major General (Retd.) Hafeez-ur-Rehman as Chairman PTA.
It is pertinent to mention that may be recalled that only a day earlier Justice Babar Sattar had declared the appointment unlawful in a detailed 99-page judgment and had directed the removal of the PTA chairman.