Naeem Bukhari removed as chairman of PTV

KARACHI: The federal cabinet on Saturday removed Naeem Bukhari as chairman of Pakistan Television (PTV) in line with a court order.

The cabinet also restored Aamer Manzoor as the managing director of the state-run television. He had been sacked by the corporation’s board of directors on January 1, Geo reported.

The move came after the Islamabad High Court barred Bukhari from performing his duties as chairman of the PTV.

Justice Athar Minallah ruled that Bukhari’s appointment was a violation of a 2018 Supreme Court order in a similar case.

The judge questioned if the government had relaxed the age-limit prior to the appointment. To which, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had said two summaries were forwarded to the federal cabinet on November 13 and 26.

The judge remarked that the federal cabinet did not make a clear decision on relaxing the age limit, adding that Bukhari was a respected figure but “no one was above the law”.

Justice Minallah had remarked that the court does not typically interfere in the executive’s decision and directed the ministry to place a revised summary before the federal cabinet for review.

The hearing was then adjourned for two weeks.