The Islamabad High Court has declared the appointment of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (Retired) Hafeez ur Rehman unconstitutional and unlawful, ordering his immediate removal from office.
Justice Babar Sattar, in a detailed 99-page verdict released Monday, ruled that the creation of the post of Member (Administration) was beyond the mandate of the Telecom Act and was introduced for extraneous reasons. The court held that amendments to the PTA Appointment Rules made to accommodate the appointment were invalid under the Constitution and the Telecom Act.
The case was filed by digital rights activist Usama Khilji, who challenged the creation of the post of “Member (Administration)” in PTA. The court found that the post was set up in violation of the law and that the eligibility criteria were altered to accommodate a pre-selected candidate.
The judgment highlighted that more qualified candidates were sidelined, and despite ranking lower in merit, Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman was appointed first as Member (Administration) and then elevated to Chairman PTA the very next day, without any transparent process.
The IHC ruled that the Federal Government failed to justify why rules were bent and why no comparative assessment of all PTA members was carried out before appointing the Chairman. The court emphasized that such discretionary and arbitrary actions undermine transparency, fairness, and the rule of law.
As a result, the court has declared the creation of the “Member (Administration)” position, as well as the subsequent appointment of Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman as Chairman PTA, to be unlawful and of no legal effect.
The ruling also directed the federal government to amend the PTA Appointment Rules to clearly define the qualifications and criteria for the position of chairman in line with previous Supreme Court precedents.
The court directed that a senior member of the PTA be temporarily appointed as acting chairman until a permanent replacement is decided.
The ruling is likely to be challenged in the Supreme Court in the coming days.
wow great news . but will Supreme Court upheld the decision??
No . Bcz they won’t be allowed to by certain people
Grt work done by Court
Another prime example of a Banana republic. These Generals have made Pakistan a joke.
And the salaries and perks he wasted during his tenure?
dual national judge should be banned and fired
Non military should be chief of army staff
The judges will face 4 black vigos.
A military guy in telecommunications means censorship and spying
All illegal, incompitant appointments must be scrapped following criminal investigation and punishment.
Bcz such appointments destroy the public service organs of state.
we have seen PTCL, WAPDA, PIA and you name it.
Investigation and punishment to all those involved in such appointments must be punished.
Alhamdolilah
Such lightning-fast promotion is only possible in a Banana republic.
who will talk to sharks after him?
Uncountable (Laanatain) Away from Blessing of Allah SWT and HIS Angles and all Human and Jinn kind and from me on Retired Meg. Gen Hefeez Alo ka Patha
They have been manipulating the country and its constitution since the 50s. It is shocking how a special new position of Member Admin was created to accommodate a preselected candidate and how the general, who was lower on the merit list, was selected by bypassing more qualified candidates. PTA is being used as a tool by establishment for digital censorship and fascism. Time to appoint a more qualified chairman on merit so that this nonsense can end.