The High Court of Islamabad (IHC) restored Major-General (RETD) Hafezur Rehman on Thursday as president of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), suspending a previous verdict which had ordered its immediate withdrawal.
An IHC division bench put aside the decision of the single bench of judge Babar Sattar, who had declared the appointment of a legally impartial Rehman and ordered his dismissal.
The unique decision of the bench, made a day earlier, had judged that the appointment process did not meet legal requirements and could not be maintained.
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The detailed verdict of judge Sattar extends over 99 pages and had proposed that a member of PTA senior serves as an acting president until a permanent and legally valid appointment is made.
Rehman had challenged the decision of the IHC after the decision of the single bench. The initial petition was filed by the activist of digital rights Usama Khilji through the lawyer Asad Ladha, disputing the appointment of Rehman under the 1972 ordinance.
Rehman argued that he was appointed member (administration) on May 24, 2023 and promoted to president the next day. Following the challenge, he posed an intra-haired call.
After hearing arguments, the division bench suspended the single bench prescription and restored Rehman to his post, effectively allowing him to continue as head of the telecommunications regulator.
