Tuesday, August 20, 2013

SC directs LHC CJ to decide PTA chairman’s appointment in 7 days

By Hasnaat Malik

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday asked the Lahore High Court (LHC) chief justice (CJ) to decide the petition regarding the 3G licence within a week.

A three-judge SC bench headed by CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was hearing a petition seeking direction for urgent auction of the 3G cellular licence, utilisation of USF and the appointment of chairman and members of boards in Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The court said that if the case was not decided then the matter should be sent to the SC registrar so that the apex court could decide the matter in accordance with the constitution.

During the hearing, the counsel of the IT Ministry, Imran, informed the bench that on account of the stay order by the LHC the government could not proceed further regarding the appointment of the PTA chairman and its members.

Advocate Ali Raza, representing the petitioner Khurram Shahzad Chughtai, said the Ministry of Finance had transferred Rs 62 billion to the consolidated fund from the Universal Services Fund (USF) after making amendments to the relevant rules.

He, however, opposed the move saying under the constitution only the money generated through revenue could be deposited in the Federal Consolidated Fund (FCF) and the USF was deducted from the income of the mobile operators and was meant for welfare of the people living in remote and underdeveloped areas of Pakistan.

He said that the funds were placed from Ministry of Information Technology-USF account to FCF of Ministry of Finance in pursuance of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) decision. The federal government had issued necessary notification for the amendments to USF Rules 2006.

He further said that the rule was substituted as the USF should be kept in the FCF and the Ministry of Finance should release funds of the USF in accordance with the procedure laid down in these rules through budgetary mechanism.

The IT secretary said that since January the PTA was not functioning, adding that they had written to the Cabinet Division regarding the matter but nothing had happened so far. The CJ said that virtually the PTA was shut. The secretary further informed the bench that a summary has been sent to the prime minister in this regard. The hearing of the case was adjourned until September 2.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

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