The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has struck down the appointment of Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman as Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), declaring the entire process illegal and without merit.

The case was filed by digital rights activist Usama Khilji, who challenged the creation of the post of “Member (Administration)” in PTA. The court found that the post was set up in violation of law and that the eligibility criteria were altered to accommodate a pre-selected candidate.

The judgment highlighted that more qualified candidates were sidelined, and despite ranking lower in merit, Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman was appointed first as Member (Administration) and then elevated to Chairman PTA the very next day—without any transparent process.

The IHC ruled that the Federal Government failed to justify why rules were bent and why no comparative assessment of all PTA members was carried out before appointing the Chairman. The court emphasized that such discretionary and arbitrary actions undermine transparency, fairness, and the rule of law.

As a result, the court has declared the creation of the “Member (Administration)” position, as well as the subsequent appointment of Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman as Chairman PTA, to be unlawful and of no legal effect.

Until a new chairman is appointed under a transparent process consistent with Section 3 of the Telecom Act and revised appointment rules, the senior-most PTA member will serve as acting chairman.

The ruling also directed the federal government to amend the PTA Appointment Rules to clearly define the qualifications and criteria for the position of chairman in line with previous Supreme Court precedents.