PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday dismissed a writ petition challenging the procedure initiated for the appointment of the chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), declaring it premature.
The case was heard by a two-member bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmed and Justice Farah Jamshed.
During the hearing, Pemra was represented by Haziq Ali Shah, while the petitioner Muhammad Nazir appeared through his counsel. The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the process for appointing the Pemra chairman was under way, but the candidate being considered did not meet the required criteria. He informed the court that an advertisement for the post was issued on October 10 and alleged that former Secretary Information Ambrin Jan was being considered for appointment, despite being a member of the Selection and Recommendation Committee.
The petitioner’s counsel further contended that the post was advertised as “chairperson” to facilitate the appointment of a woman.Justice Waqar Ahmed inquired whether any appointment had already been made. In response, Pemra’s counsel informed the court that the appointment process was still ongoing and had not been finalized. He added that no appointment had been made so far and noted that a similar petition had earlier been filed before the Lahore High Court, which was dismissed.
Addressing the petitioner, Justice Waqar Ahmed observed that since no appointment had yet been made, the petitioner should wait, and if an appointment was made, it could then be challenged. He remarked that at this stage the petition was premature.
The petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Abdul Basit Gillani, argued that Supreme Court judgments existed on the matter and maintained that there were no rules governing the appointment of the Pemra chairman. He questioned how a person who was a member of the selection committee could be appointed to the same position.After hearing arguments from both sides, the court dismissed the writ petition, declaring it premature.
