LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday set aside the single bench verdict on the removal of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) Chairman Lt-Gen Munir Afsar and admitted the government’s intra-court appeal for hearing.
A divisional bench, comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Ahmed Nadeem Arshad, heard the federal government’s appeal and announced the verdict upon completion of arguments.
Last year, LHC’s Justice Asim Hafeez had nullified the appointment of Lt-Gen Munir Afsar as the NADRA chairman while hearing a complaint filed a woman – Ashba Kamran.
The government, in its appeal, argued that the single bench’s verdict on removal of Lt-Gen Munir Afsar was contrary to the facts. It stated that the petitioner had challenged the appointment notification, issued by the interim government, but had never contested the newly amended rule.
The government contended that it had the authority to undertake the rule-making process under Section 44 of the NADRA Ordinance, 2000, which included the power to amend the rules. It further argued that the chairman’s appointment was made in accordance with Rule 7A of the NADRA (Appointment and Emoluments of Chairman and Members) Rules, 2020, and that when discretion is exercised, there is no obligation to issue a public advertisement or conduct a competitive recruitment process.
The government urged the bench to overturn the single bench’s verdict and reinstate the NADRA chairman’s appointment.
Earlier, a division bench had reinstated Lt-Gen Afsar as the NADRA chairman after suspending the single bench’s decision on September 10, 2024.
Appointment of Lt-Gen Afsar as Nadra chief
On October 2, 2023, Lieutenant General Munir Afsar was appointed as the new Chairman of National Database and Regulatory Authority.
The federal cabinet had approved the appointment of Lt-Gen Munir Afsar as Chairman of National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) out of the three names proposed by the Interior Ministry.
The cabinet was informed that the selection committee had shortlisted names of the three best candidates for the post of Chairman NADRA.
After detailed consideration, the cabinet approved the appointment of Lt-Gen Muhammad Munir Afsar as the new Chairman of NADRA.
The appointment was made after the then NADRA chief Tariq Malik decided to step down from the post following his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and formally presented his resignation.
