Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Thursday overruled an objection placed by registrar’s office on a petition seeking directions for removal of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) chairman and ordered to fix the matter before a proper bench. The matter was fixed before the chief justice as an objection case after registrar’s office placed objection that the petition should be filed before Islamabad High Court. The petitioner, Shafqat Jamal, in his petition submitted that it was mandatory that PEMRA chairman should have relevant experience and must be appointed after due process as per section 6 of the PEMRA Ordinance. However, Rashid was appointed as PEMRA chairman on January 26 despite the fact that he did not have the relevant experience, he said adding that the appointment was also made in a non-transparent manner. He further mentioned that the chairman was appointed for a period of four years on contract against the court’s direction of full time appointment. He pleaded the court to set aside the PEMRA chairman appointment as it was made against rules and regulations.
