LAHORE: The appointment of retired Flt Lt Khaqan Murtaza as director general of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been challenged before the Lahore High Court.

A citizen namely Mian Khurram Aftab assailed the appointment of the DG in a petition filed through Advocate Nabeel Javed Kahloon.

The petitioner states that the federal government without any advertisement or following the procedure laid down under the law issued the impugned notification and appointed the respondent as the CAA DG on Nov 27, 2020. He pleads that the impugned appointment is in violation of a 2014 judgment passed by the Supreme Court wherein it was held that the Civil Aviation Recruitment Rules 1970 must be followed while appointing the CAA DG.

The petitioner submits that the appointment was made without considering the requirement of the post where only persons having experience of aviation can perform. He says the respondent DG has no knowledge and expertise of aviation neither has any service as prescribed under the rules of the CAA.

He asks the court to declare the appointment of the respondent illegal and order the respondents to publish a fresh advertisement for the post of the CAA DG as per the rules.

As an interim relief, the petitioner urges the court to immediately restrain the respondent DG from performing his duties till final decision of the petition.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2020