Govt. removed Pemra Chairman Rashid Ahmed from post
The government has removed Chaudhry Rasheed Ahmed, chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), from his post.
Official sources confirmed that President Mamnoon Hussain had issued orders to dismiss the PEMRA chairman for his alleged involvement in corruption and illegal recruitment.
Rashid had been appointed chairman of the government’s media watchdog on January 28, 2013, after a ruling by the apex court barred the acting Pemra chairman Dr Abdul Jabbar from holding office.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Development Khawaja Asif had challenged Rashid’s appointment by the former government in the Supreme Court.
Asif had argued that the appointment was not carried out in accordance with the January 15 order of the Supreme Court regarding the vacant Pemra chairman’s office.
At the time, the court had observed: “the position of chairman Pemra has to be filled by a person who fulfils the exceptional and stringent requirements prescribed in the Pemra Ordinance and not by a casual appointee.
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“Moreover, the appointment has to be made through an open and transparent process to ensure that the appointee meets the objective criteria specified in the Pemra Ordinance,” the order had stated.
