ISLAMABAD: The Isla­mabad High Court (IHC) has set aside the government’s decision to deny foreign pos­tings to several selected Trade and Investment Officers, ruling that executive authorities cannot deprive individuals of accrued rights on the basis of undisclosed intelligence reports that are neither shared with the affected persons nor produced before the court.

In a detailed 26-page judgement, Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas declared unlawful the Ministry of Commerce’s decision to withhold the appointments of successful candidates solely on the basis of adverse assessments attributed to the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

The petitioners were re­­presented by advocates Kashif Ali Malik, Barris­ter M. Saad Buttar, and Syed Hasnain Ibrahim Kaz­­mi, who argued that the government could not reverse a completed merit-based selection process thr­­ough secret vetting re­­ports that were never disclosed to the candidates.

They maintained that the petitioners had acq­uired vested rights after obtaining approval from the competent authority and completing all mandatory requirements for foreign postings.

Selected candidates had completed tests, interviews, training, pre-departure formalities

The dispute arose from the recruitment process for Trade and Investment Officers for Pakistan’s trade missions abroad, initiated in December 2024.

According to the record, the candidates successful­­ly cleared written examinations, psychometric ass­essments, and interviews. They received approval from the prime minister, completed mandatory training, and fulfilled all pre-departure formalities.

Despite completing eve­ry stage of the process, several officers were den­ied final appointment letters after being declared “not suitable for posting abroad” by a special vetting agency. The court observed that the commerce ministry itself was unaware of the reasons behind the adverse recommendations and had acted merely on a bare conclusion communicated by the IB.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2026