ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday set aside the single bench orders in which it allowed the Pakistan Television to recover three per cent commission its former managing director (MD) Yousaf Baig Mirza used to receive on its overall revenue.

The commission was in addition to his monthly salary he used to draw as PTV MD.

IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui in April this year declared the appointment of Mr Baig as illegal and had ordered for the recovery of the profit the former managing director was receiving under an agreement with the ministry of information and broadcasting.

IHC division bench comprising Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan and Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi through a short judgment issued on Friday also gave a go-ahead to the federal government to appoint a new managing director in accordance with the law.

Justice Siddiqui in his judgment of April 15 also ordered the federal government to appoint a suitable person as MD but Mustafa Kamal who has been given charge of acting MD challenged the appointment process for the said post and obtained a stay order in his favour and the appointment process had to be stopped.

Mohammad Waqas Malik, counsel for Kamal, during the hearing before Islamabad High Court division bench said that the advertisement for the appointment of the new MD PTV was discriminatory in nature.

The cabinet division had, on April 30, advertised the vacant position of MD PTV, and 57 years was set as the upper age limit for the candidate.

The petition contended that senior directors in the PTV, including acting MD Mr. Kamal (58 years old) were planning to apply for the vacant post of MD PTV.

It said the age limit rendered Mr Kamal and a couple of other directors ineligible for applying for the position of MD PTV, and requested the court to direct the Cabinet Division to amend the advertisement accordingly.

Naeem Bokhari, counsel for Mr Baig, informed the court that since his client had joined a private media organisation therefore he was not interested in regaining the same post. He however requested that the order related to the recovery of three pre cent profit from Mr Baig might be set aside.