Chairman of Pakistan Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Chaudhry Rashid Ahmad has filed a petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) claiming that the government was harassing and intimidating him to get his resignation from the post by force.
The petition filed by the counsel of PEMRA chairman Wasim Sajjad has made Federation of Pakistan, the federal information secretary, FIA DG, PEMRA Executive Member Rao Tehsin Ali Khan and the Islamabad Police IG as parties and requested the court to stop the federal government from interfering in the affairs of the PEMRA. It further requested the IHC to stop the information secretary and the FIA DG from intimidating him through different means and stop the FIA DG and Islamabad IG from arresting or registering a case against him.
The petition said after the change of the government at federal level, the petitioner was put under constant pressure to resign as the PEMRA chairman, apparently to accommodate some person close to the new federal government. It said in August 2013, the information secretary called the petitioner in his office and said that he was facing pressure from higher-ups to get his resignation or in case the petitioner does not agree, send a summary for his removal.
It said the petitioner on suggestion from the information secretary, tried to seek an appointment with the minister through his office and continued his efforts but could not succeed. The petition said during meeting with the information secretary again, the petitioner was told that he was under pressure either to get the petitioner’s resignation or to move a summary for his removal.
The petition said the PEMRA chairman informed the secretary in a categorical manner that he will not resign as he had not committed any misconduct and his appointment was secured for a term of four years under the PEMRA Ordinance.
The petition went on to say that services of the petitioner were terminated on December 15, 2013 and the single-member bench of Islamabad High Court while admitting the petition on December 16 also suspended the impugned order.
The petitioner said since December 16, a series of acts of victimisation have been launched by the government to pressurise him for tendering resignation. He also said that since then the FIA started calling him daily for investigation.
The PEMRA chairman prayed the court to restrain the federation from interfering in the affairs of PEMRA, the information secretary and the FIA be restrained from using government machinery to harass him and the FIA DG be restrained from arresting him without permission of the court while the Islamabad IG be directed not to register any case against the petitioner without permission of the court.
PEMRA chairman files petition over harassment by govt
