LHC orders removal of NADRA chairman Lieutenant General Muneer Afsar

The Lahore High Court on Friday annulled the appointment of NADRA chairman Lt General Muneer Afsar, ordering his immediate removal from office.

Justice Asim Hafeez ruled in favour of a petition filed by a citizen, Ashba Kamran, who had challenged Afsar’s appointment, stating it was unlawful. The court accepted the petition and declared the appointment null and void.

The petitioner argued that the caretaker government had amended the NADRA Act to allow the appointment of a serving military officer as chairman, which was beyond the caretaker government's mandate.

The petition further stated that interim governments should not intervene in permanent policy matters.

The petitioner requested the court to nullify the amended NADRA rules and declare the appointment of a serving military officer to the post as Chairman NADRA as void.

Previoulsy, the caretaker federal government approved the appointment of Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar as National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Chairman in October, 2023, following a summary submitted by the Ministry of Interior with three recommended candidates. A notification issued after the decision confirmed that Afsar's appointment would take effect immediately.

Lt Gen Muhammad Munir Afsar became the first serving military officer to be appointed chairman of the NADRA.

In his role as a lieutenant general, Munir has had held prominent positions, including Inspector General of Communication and IT and Commander of the Pakistan Army Cyber Command.