• January 17, 2014
• Media Ethics
• Faisal Kamal Pasha

ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) here Thursday issued notice to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Chairman, Chaudhry Rasheed Ahmad, in response to the Intra-Court Appeal (ICA) of the federal government against his reinstatement by a single member IHC bench.

The division bench, comprising IHC chief justice, Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi and Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, directed the Pemra chief to submit his reply within a fortnight.The IHC single bench comprising Justice Riaz Ahmad Khan on December 26, 2013, had reinstated Ch Rasheed as Pemra chairman while setting aside the Establishment Division termination notification after he was sacked by the federal government on December 15.

Legal counsel for the federal government Hafiz S A Rehman told the division bench that the Pemra chief has concealed certain facts.He argued that Ch Rasheed was removed on December 16 through a notification while the petition was drafted and filed and fixed on the same day. Even the interim order on the suspension of the notification was also announced the same day, he added.

Advocate S A Rehman said that while challenging his termination, Ch Rasheed did not attached the notification of his removal along with the petition.The counsel for the federal government further maintained that the respondent Ch Rasheed was guilty of misconduct as he himself moved his summary for appointment when he was ministry of information and broadcasting secretary. Despite the fact that the Establishment Division had objected to the summary, it was approved, advocate S A Rehman further told the court.The counsel said that he got his summary approved from the then prime minister detaching the Establishment Division’s summary from his file.

The News