A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended an earlier ruling that ordered the removal of retired Major-General Hafeezur Rehman from his position as Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman.

The bench, comprising Justices Muhammad Asif and Inaam Ameen Minhas, heard Rehman’s intra-court appeal against the order issued by Justice Babar Sattar, who had declared his appointment “unconstitutional, illegal and void ab initio” in a case filed by digital rights activist Usama Khilji.

During the hearing, Additional Attorney General Salman Mansoor argued that Justice Sattar had granted relief not even sought in the petition, without issuing a notice to the attorney general, which he said was required under Article 199 of the Constitution. Advocate Qasim Wadud, representing Rehman, contended that the rules had been amended and approved by the federal cabinet prior to the appointment.

Justice Sattar’s earlier ruling had noted that the PTA Appointment Rules were amended in May 2023 to accommodate the appointment, while the job advertisement was issued in March 2023 when no such post legally existed. The court observed the recruitment process “suffered from malice in law,” with a higher age limit set specifically to favour Rehman, and declared the appointment illegal and unsustainable.

The suspension of that order now allows Hafeezur Rehman to continue as PTA chairman pending further proceedings.