Telecom authority: In tune with SC orders, members may be appointed this week

Interviews conducted, summary of shortlisted candidates sent to PM.

KARACHI: The federal government is likely to appoint members and chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority - apparently the only obstacle in the way of introducing third generation (3G) mobile technology - this week, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The prime minister’s special commission, which was constituted for the making appointments to key government positions in compliance with Supreme Court orders, interviewed 16 candidates for the post of Member Technical, 12 candidates for Member Finance and two candidates for Member Compliance and Enforcement last week. This was confirmed by at least three officials in the ministry.

The commission has sent a summary of shortlisted candidates to the premier and appointments will likely be made this week, said an official, if not delayed until next week.



Earlier this month, the SC directed the government to appoint members and chairman of the PTA, the telecom sector’s regulator responsible for the auction of 3G spectrum licences, by September 16. The apex court also directed that after his appointment, the new chairman should appear before the court with a schedule for 3G auction as it is of growing national interest.

Despite advertisements, the government had not been able to fill these vacant positions since March, leading to the intervention of the apex court. Although the government missed the September 16 deadline, it made some progress last week.

The commission shortlisted candidates from a pool of 165 applications received in response to the June 14 advertisement.

The competition for the slot of Member Technical, who is usually appointed the PTA chairman, was fierce, said an official, who requested not to be named. Dr Khawar Khokhar and Dr Ismail Shah were among those shortlisted for the post, officials familiar with the matter said.

Former member technical of PTA, Khokhar holds a doctorate in Mobile Communications from the University of Durham. He is currently working for Quest Engineering, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Shah, former member telecom in the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, is currently working with Qualcomm as a consultant on 3G and 4G technologies. He is imparting technical training in 3G and 4G in the US, Thailand and other countries, said an official close to him.

Kamran Ali, currently Member Legal in the MoITT, is one of the candidates shortlisted and interviewed for the position of Member Compliance and Enforcement, a new position added to the PTA earlier this year through a Statutory Regulatory Order, sources confirmed.

Ali has remained DG Law in PTA for about five years. The other candidate shortlisted for this post is currently a general manager in PTCL, an official said.

While the government seems close to appointing the new PTA chairman, some officials have expressed reservations about the transparency of the process, especially in the case of Member Compliance and Enforcement.

Many people had applied for this post, but the commission shortlisted only two candidates, thus killing the competition, said an official who asked not to be quoted.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2013.

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