Lt Gen Muhammad Ali assumes charge as secretary defence

Lieutenant General Muhammad Ali assumed charge as Secretary of Defense, the sources close to the development confirmed on Tuesday.

Sources said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed the new Secretary of Defense last week, and the appointment is for a term of 2 years and 3 months.

Lieutenant General Muhammad Ali will serve as Secretary of Defense until December 31, 2026.

Sources said that the 2-year term of Lieutenant General (R) Hamood ul Zaman as Secretary of Defense was completed in August.

Subsequently, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Defense was appointed as the Acting Secretary of Defense. Sources further said that Major General Amir Ashfaq Kiyani stepped down from the responsibilities of Acting Secretary of Defense earlier in the day.

Last month, a Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench suspended a judgment of a single bench and reinstated Lt Gen Muhammad Munir Afsar as National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chairman.

Lt Gen Muhammad Munir is also a serving general in Pakistan Army.

Division bench comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad, passed the interim stay order on an intra-court appeal (ICA) moved by the federal government.

The court also issued a notice to petitioner Ashba Kamran.

A law officer representing the federal government appeared before the division bench of the LHC and asked it to set aside the single bench verdict.

The division bench suspended the single-bench verdict that declared the appointment unlawful.

The law officer while arguing before the bench said that the government was competent to carry out rule-making exercise under the mandate of Section 44 of the NADRA Ordinance 2000 which include the power to amend the rules. He told the court that the NADRA chairman was appointed under Rule-7A of the NADRA (Appointment and Emoluments of Chairman and Members) Rules 2020. He said when discretion was exercised, there was no need of issuing a public advertisement or to hold competitive recruitment process. The law officer argued that the single bench ignored the facts and the laws while passing the impugned judgment.

The next date of hearing was in office.

A LHC single bench comprising Justice Asim Hafeez had declared on Sept 6 unlawful appointment of Lt Gen Afsar as Nadra chairman.

Justice Hafeez in his judgment had held that no advertisement and competitive exam was held to fill the post of NADRA chairman. He held that there was violation of Article 18 of the Constitution.

The judge had also held that any appointment made in disregard of qualification was equal to abuse/excessive exercise of delegated powers.

The single bench had also turned down the argument of the government that leakage of sensitive data and national interest caused to direct appointment of a serving police officer.

“Just leakage of data was not a ground to abandon qualification-based and meritorious appointments,” said the judge. He also turned down the argument of the argument that on two different occasions, the officer [s] in service were appointment as Nadra chairman.

The previously illegality could not justify appointment under question and is also not authorized by and in terms of the status, he further ruled.

Ashba Karam had moved a petition in the LHC against appointment of a serving army officer as NADRA chairman. She said that the caretaker government led by the then Prime Minister Kakar made appointment on Oct 2, 2023. The elected government later, she said, also issued a notification on March 28, 2024.

She asked the court to set aside the appointment of a serving army officer as NADRA chairman.