The Lahore High Court (LHC) has reinstated Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar as Chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), suspending a single bench ruling that had removed him from the post.
On September 6, Justice Asim Hafeez of the LHC had declared Lieutenant General Afsar appointment as NADRA Chairman null and void.
The decision was challenged in the LHC today, with the Ministry of Interior filing an intra-court appeal. The appeal named the President of Pakistan, the Prime Minister, and other parties.
The appeal argued that the single bench ruling was against the facts, that the petition was not maintainable, and that it could not be filed in the Lahore High Court’s principal seat. It also highlighted that the elected federal government had granted a three-year extension to the NADRA Chairman in March. The appeal requested the court to declare the single bench ruling null and void and to immediately suspend its effect.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, heard the appeal. The court suspended the single bench ruling and reinstated Lieutenant General Afsar.
During the hearing, Justice Iqbal inquired about the specific notification being challenged in the appeal. The government lawyer clarified that the appeal challenged the notification issued by the caretaker government regarding the appointment of the NADRA Chairman. He emphasized that the petitioner’s challenge was limited to the caretaker government’s notification and did not challenge the new rules.
The appeal argued that Justice Asim Hafeez had declared the appointment of the NADRA Chairman null and void. It requested the court to declare the single bench ruling regarding the removal of the NADRA Chairman null and void.
It is worth noting that Justice Asim Hafeez had previously accepted a petition challenging the appointment of the NADRA Chairman. The petition, filed by citizen Ashba Kamran, challenged the appointment of Munir Afsar as NADRA Chairman.
The federal government had filed an appeal against the single bench ruling in the Lahore High Court.
It is important to remember that the caretaker federal government appointed Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar, who was serving as the IG of Communication and IT at the General Headquarters (GHQ), as the interim Chairman of NADRA on October 2nd, 2023.
