LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday restored Lieutenant General Afsar Munir as chairman of the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra).
A two-member bench, headed by Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, issued the order after suspending the ruling of the LHC’s single bench.
During the hearing, the state lawyer argued that the petitioner had never challenged the new rules in the Nadra laws as he had only challenged the appointment’s notification issued by the then caretaker government.
After hearing the arguments, the two-member bench reinstated the Nadra chairman.
Earlier this month, Justice Asim Hafeez had declared the appointment of NADRA Chairman, Lt. General Munir Afsar, null and void, and had ordered his immediate removal from office.
The petition, filed by a citizen, Ashba Kamran, argued that the caretaker government had overstepped its authority by amending NADRA laws to appoint a serving military officer. According to the petition, the caretaker government, which is limited in its powers, cannot interfere in permanent policy decisions, including appointments to key positions such as the head of NADRA.
Kamran’s petition further requested the court to declare the amendments to NADRA rules as unlawful and to invalidate the appointment of Lt. General Munir Afsar.
