ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday annulled the official notification of the dismissal of Tariq Malik from the position of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) chairman and declared the appointment legit, DawnNews reported.

The ruling was issued by IHC’s Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi who said in his decision that he had found out about the developments in the case upon his return to Islamabad and that a verdict had earlier been reserved in this regard.

From the government’s side, Advocate Akram Sheikh argued in favour of Malik’s sacking. Whereas Babar Sattar, representing Malik, said the procedure adopted to dismiss his client was not right.

Sattar said Malik’s contract entitled him to job security, adding that the government’s accusations against his client also proved to be incorrect.

Malik’s lawyer said his client had made a principled decision of resigning from the post and that the government was damaging the institution of Nadra.

On Dec 2, the government had sacked Malik without any notice but he was restored by the IHC the next day. On Dec 3, the high court in Islamabad had issued a stay order against Malik’s sacking. However, later, on Jan 10, Malik resigned from the post, saying his decision was due to personal engagements.