LAHORE: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the federal government continue to violate the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) 2017 orders regarding the appointment of the chairman on a permanent basis as per the due process.
Although an advertisement for the appointment of a new chairman was given in February this year, the government, however, had withdrawn the advertisement after a brief period of time, with no regard for court orders.
Following the appointment of Muhammad Naveed on a temporary basis in 2017, a petitioner had challenged the appointment in LHC through Advocate Sheraz Zaka who had maintained before the court that the rules of appointment were not observed, making the appointment illegal.
After listening to the arguments, the LHC’s Justice Shahid Karim ruled on December 21, 2017, that appointments in autonomous bodies of the government shall be not be made on ad hoc basis, and rather the required pathway as described by the law must be adopted, which states that the deputation the chairmen in such bodies must be done on a permanent basis.
Both the PTA and the federal government submitted an undertaking before the LHC in which they assured that PTA chairman would soon be appointed in accordance with the law, specially publicising the post so the aspiring candidates could apply for the said position.
It had further directed the Establishment Division on December 21, 2017, to implement the verdict of the court.
However, almost a year has passed since the passage of LHC 2017 orders, the government has utterly failed in honouring its commitment of appointing the chairman on a permanent basis
