LHC reinstates NADRA chairman; reverses earlier order

ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has suspended a previous decision that declared the appointment of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chairman null and void.

This development effectively reinstates Lieutenant General Munir Afsar as the chairman of NADRA. The two-member bench of the LHC overturned the earlier decision made by a single bench.

The case, presided over by Justice Chaudhry Iqbal, involved a challenge to the notification of Lt Gen Afsar’s appointment, which was initially questioned in a petition filed by citizen Ashba Kamran. Kamran’s petition argued that the appointment violated the provisions of the NADRA Ordinance, 2000, and failed to follow the proper process, which should have involved inviting applications from eligible candidates and conducting a competitive evaluation.

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In October 2023, Lt Gen Afsar became the first serving military officer to be appointed as NADRA chairman. His appointment, first made by the caretaker government of then-prime minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, was later confirmed for a three-year term by the elected federal government in March 2024.

The earlier ruling, delivered by Justice Asim Hafeez, had ordered Afsar’s removal from his post, citing that the appointment was made without legal authority and did not meet the requirements of Article 18 of the Constitution.

However, with the latest ruling from the two-member bench, the earlier decision has been set aside, and Lt Gen Afsar will continue to serve as NADRA chairman.