Plea rejected: SC refuses more time for PTA appointments
The court had set a 10-day deadline for the appointments by the federal government. PHOTO: FILE
The Supreme Court rejected the government’s plea on Monday to grant more time to complete the appointment of members and a new chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
A three-member bench headed by Justice Tasaddaq Hussain Jilani resumed the hearing of the case regarding the auction of 3G licences. The court had set a 10-day deadline for the appointments by the federal government.
The bench directed the government to appoint the PTA chairman and members on a priority basis. Justice Jilani observed that it is regrettable to say that a tremendously valuable institution such as the PTA has been made ineffective and is paralysed because of negligence.
The court already has provided ample time to the government and now the time is over as the national exchequer is suffering losses due to the delay in the PTA chairman’s appointment, the judge said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2013.