islamabad - The Federal Investigation Agency is facing a court challenge for registering a case against former chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) yesterday issued notices to the director general of Federal Investigation Agency on the petition of former Chairman PEMRA Chaudhry Rashid, who is seeking cancellation of cases filed against him by the FIA.
Justice Noor-ul-Haq N Qureshi conducted the hearing and after issuing the notices, deferred the matter till August 25 for further proceedings.
In his petition, the former chairman PEMRA has nominated the director general FIA, the investigating officer and secretary information as respondents. He alleged before the court that the government had lodged the case to harass him after he challenged the termination of his contract.
Chaudhary Rashid, former secretary information, was appointed as the chairman PEMRA for four years on January 26, 2013.
However, on December 15, 2013, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government terminated his contract but on December 26, 2013, the IHC restored him.
But, the court permitted the government to probe if there was any illegality with regard to Rashid’s appointment.
On April 2014, the government again sacked Rashid but the latter reappeared in his office on May 25 in pursuance of the IHC’s order of the same date.
However, on June 10, he was sent home as the court temporarily suspended his restoration after the government produced some new facts before the court.
In his latest petition, Rashid challenged the registration of an FIR registered against him by the FIA in connection with the release of payment to an advertising agency, which the investigation agency claimed was unlawful.
The petitioner contended that the case was registered against him while he was working as the principal information officer (PIO) in the information ministry in BPS-21.
“Under the rules of the FIA, no inquiry can be conducted against an officer in BPS-21 nor can the officer be arrested without prior permission of the competent authority,” argued the former chairman PEMRA.
He continued that the FIA did not obtain any permission from the authorities concerned before registering the case against him. He added that under the FIA rules, the petitioner had the right to give a written explanation to any allegation made against him in a fortnight. But no explanation was sought from him and the FIR was registered to pressure him for withdrawing the case filed against his sacking, maintained Rashid.
Therefore, he prayed to the court to halt FIA from taking any action against him.