3G Auction: Supreme Court Directs to appoint PTA Chairman in One Week

3G Auction: Supreme Court Directs to appoint PTA Chairman in One Week

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed the government to appoint the Chairman of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in One Week. The directive issued by the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry of the Supreme Court on Wednesday. They gave the government one-week time limit to assign the head of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The position of the Chairman PTA had been lying vacant since February and the bench said that the PTA was almost non-functional. The court questioned why was the PTA Chairman not assigned and observed that there should not be any further delay.

The order of the bench reads as:

“We direct the Secretary concerned to take up the issue immediately and discharge his function by appointing the chairman of the PTA without further loss of time.”

During the hearing on Chairman PTA Appointment the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry asked about the auctionof 3G technology and said that without the chairman all the decisions taken up by the authority will not be legal.

Deputy Attorney General (DAG) for Pakistan Imran-UL-Haq told the court the government had already issued a schedule for bringing the 3G technology in the country.

DAG said that an acting chairman, Syed Ismail Shah ,had been appointed in the PTA, who would be removed after the appointment because the court reminded him that there was no concept of acting chairman under section 3 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganisation Act 1996.

Syed Ismail Shah was appointed acting chairman under a notification issued on September 26, 2013. The court later adjourned the case for one week directing the government to appoint a permanent chairman at the earliest.

It's worth mentioned here that earlier Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed the government to appoint the members and chairman SCorders to appoint PTA Chairman PTA in 15 days of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in the next 15 days while keeping in view the rules and regulations of the institution. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary also ordered that the auction of 3G license must be done 15 days after the appointment of members and chairman of PTA.

Thus nothing come out. Now it is left to see what will happen next, will PTA appoint Chairman soon and the Pakistani nation will be able to relish the taste of 3G technology in coming months.

What's your opinion comment below:

Pakistan soon to have 3G technology: PTA forms policy for 3G auction

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has decided to auction 3G license in the country, the decision came after the recent appointment of new PTA Chairman, Dr. Syed Ismail Shah. The government has set a draft of policy directive by suggesting entry of existing as well as new players, technology transfer, and other measures that will be presented before the advisory committee for approval within this week. The advisory committee headed by the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar including other representative and all stakeholders will approve the draft policy in order to move on 3G license auction, said Minister of State for Information Technology Anusha Rehman.

She said that after the formation of draft policy by information technology, the PTA would appoint internationally reputed consultants to move on the 3G auction. She said if the consultant would like to change in the draft policy the IT ministry will embrace it will open mind.

She said after the approval of draft policy the government will further proceed the 3G auction.

Anusha Rehamn while briefing to the media yesterday said that four telecom operators in the country show their grave concern in acquiring 3G licenses. She said it is hoped that beside local cellular operators the international carriers will also be the part of 3G auction.

The early efforts made in 2011-2012 from the auction of 3G license failed due to some hindrances that lead to a disappointment of Pakistani consumers, who have been intensely waiting for 3G networks to get better data connections over mobile phones for years. It is essential to mention here that the 3G process is moving ahead on the orders of the Supreme Court which had directed the government to appoint the PTA chairman within the 15 days and then the auction of 3G license in the next 15 days after the chairman appointment.

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The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued a court contempt notice to the leader of the PakistanThree K-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, due to his remarks against the court in his three consecutive media talks on 26^th , 29^th and 30^th July, 2012. If the SC finds him guilty in the court contempt case, khan could be disqualified for five years from the Assembly membership and from the party office. SC took sou-moto notice against Imran Khan
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