ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday declared the appointments of Chairman Pakistan Television (PTV) Arshad Khan and independent members of PTV’s board of directors as illegal and directed the government to fill the vacant slots in accordance of law. The court, however, declared the appointment of Managing Director PTV Aamir Manzoor, Chief News and Current Affairs Qatreena Hussain and Khawar Azhar as lawful. Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiyani of IHC announced the judgment on a petition regarding the appointments in state run TV channel. The court, however, protected the decisions of BoD. The court directed that Arshad Khan would not be entitled to be posted on any other post in future. Earlier, the petitioner’s lawyer pleaded that Arshad Khan was given acting charge of MD after he resigned from the post of chairman Pakistan Television Corporation (PTVC). He pleaded that the management had violated the law in appoints of chairman PTV and PTVC’s board members. The petition stated that a board member Rashid Khan was 70 year old and also holding dual nationality. He was also chairman of Nayatel Company. It further said that the retirement age in PTV was 60 years but over age people had been posted on various slots. Similarly, another board member Zubair Khaliq was 62 year old and also UK national and running his recruitment company and a store in abroad. A BoD member Mian Yousaf Salahuddin was 69 years and his qualification was just Matric, the petition said.
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