Lahore HC removes PEMRA chairman

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday asked Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Chairman Absar Alam to step down after nullifying his appointment to the post owing to him not meeting all qualification criteria.

A single judge bench of the high court, Justice Shahid Karim, announced the decision in response to a petition filed by a citizen, Munir Ahmed, on November 29, reports Geo TV.

Munir Ahmed had maintained that senior journalist Alam did not fulfill the criteria to be selected or appointed as PEMRA Chairman. He also informed the high court bench that the Supreme Court has barred contractual appointments on permanent posts, and that Alam needed to be removed as he was just PEMRA's acting chairman.