The recent moves by Beijing to throttle the supply of high-tech components to European drone manufacturers mark a cynical new chapter in the Great Game of technological sovereignty. By targeting the burgeoning defense link between Taipei’s hardware and Europe’s evolving Ukraine-style drone doctrine, China isn't just protecting its market share; it is weaponizing the global supply chain to dictate how Western nations defend themselves. Why is China targeting the Europe-Taiwan drone partnership? The Taiwan-Ukraine axis represents a nightmare for Beijing's strategic planners. European defense firms, having witnessed the devastating efficacy of low-cost FPV (First Person View) and reconnaissance drones on the plains of Ukraine, are pivoting away from expensive, traditional aerospace models. They are looking to Taiwan-not just for chips, but for specialized sensors and flight controllers-to build a democratic supply chain. China’s sanctions are a preemptive strike. By leveraging it...
ISLAMABAD: A high court in Pakistan’s capital on Tuesday canceled the appointment of Major General (retired) Hafeez-ur-Rehman as the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) chairman over violation of rules and favoritism.
Rehman was first appointed PTA member (administration) and in May 2023, he was appointed the chairman of the authority. The petitioner, Usama Khilji, challenged Rehman’s appointment as PTA member (administration), saying it was in contravention of PTA rules.
In his verdict, Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Babar Sattar stated that Rehman’s appointment as the PTA chairman was not legally valid, adding that a senior member of the authority should be appointed as the chairman temporarily.
“The creation of the office of Member (Administration) and the appointment made under it are void and of no legal effect,” the judge stated in the verdict. “The recruitment process suffered from mala fide in law and lacked transparency.”
The petitioner said the federal cabinet had not created any additional post and the announcement of the induction of a new member was in breach of the PTA appointment rules, which did not envisage the position of member (administration).
“The statutory criteria were tailored to induct a pre-determined individual… the increase in the age limit also suggests that the respondents have already been tipped as to who the Member (Administration) is to be, and the statutory criteria have been relaxed to accommodate the said person,” the verdict read.
“Making appointments to public offices that are not the products of a transparent, comparative and manifestly fair process is not a right of an elected government or a matter of Executive policy, but an abdication of the required allegiance to the rule of law.”
The IHC judge said since the entire process of Rehman’s appointment as the member (administration) and as the PTA chairman was found to “suffer from malice in law being the product of an unconstitutional and illegal recruitment process, he shall cease to hold such appointments and shall immediately relinquish charge.”
He ordered that the senior-most serving PTA member be given charge of the office of PTA chairman till the time the federal government appoints a regular chairman.
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