VRG denies launching AMA Scheme, says ad aired only to create awareness

After the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) clarified that it has not issued the commencement certificate to the Virtual Remittance Gateway (VRG) for commercial operations of Asaan Mobile Account (AMA) scheme in Pakistan, the company on Sunday said that its advertisement on August 14 was issued to create awareness among the masses on the occasion of Independence Day.

The PTA, in a press release, had advised the general public not to undertake any commercial activity till all the licence conditions for commercial launch of AMA scheme have been met by VRG as per TPSP Licence.

The PTA had directed VRG to immediately stop any such commercial operations in relation to AMA scheme until PTA issues commencement certificate to VRG.

However, VRG in its clarification said that it had aired the advertisement in good faith. "VRG thought, in all good faith, that it is appropriate to take people of Pakistan on board on VRG’s preparedness and “readiness to launch” the commercial services soon and to give people the gift of AMA Scheme, but this gift will not be given until PTA allows VRG to do so, for which people have been waiting since many years."

The PTA's press release had said that VRG was not awarded any Third Party Service Provider (TPSP) licence for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and advised the general public not to undertake any commercial activity till all the licence conditions have been met by VRG as per TPSP Licence.

To this the company clarified that in its advertisement VRG has not in any manner mentioned that it has launched the commercial services (in Pakistan or AJK and G-B ) without PTA’s Commencement Certificate.

"VRG has intentionally avoided the words “Launch” and 'Commencement of operations' and only talked about readiness and being commercially operational."

Company's statement said that VRG started the pilot phase on PTA’s direction and the people of Pakistan have opened 108,280 AMA accounts and completed much more than 3.2 million transactions, all free of charge.

"VRG is bearing all these costs for all these activities to help poor people and satisfy PTA’s requirements under the law and the licence conditions. VRG has not charged any of its business partners for these transactions," it further said.