A proposed ordinance to establish a telecom tribunal is being considered by the federal caretaker administration.
According to sources in the IT Ministry, the decision to create the Telecom Tribunal was made as a result of the numerous cases involving the telecom industry that are currently pending in court.
The caretaker administration reportedly intends to begin the 5G auction process. Without the availability of spectrum, the 5G auction process cannot begin. To end the ongoing court case about the spectrum problem, the IT Ministry has suggested creating a Telecom Tribunal.
The Telecommunication Reorganisation Act, 1996 must be amended, according to sources, in order to make room for the Telecom Tribunal. An ordinance for the creation of a Telecom Tribunal is now being discussed after the caretaker administration requested the Law Ministry’s view. An ordinance is the only option at this moment because the National Assembly is not functioning.
The federal government has been informed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), according to sources, that a separate tribunal is required to handle the backlog of cases in the telecom industry.
Thousands of lawsuits related to the telecom industry are currently pending in court, according to PTA’s briefing. Due to the technical nature of the telecom industry, the creation of a Telecom Tribunal is urgently needed to address these outstanding issues.
Attempts to create a telecom tribunal have reportedly been undertaken in the pas. An modification to the Telecommunication Reorganisation Act of 1996 that was submitted by the Law Ministry similarly failed to win approval.