NA committee ponders establishment of Telecom Appellate Tribunal

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications deliberated on “The Establishment of Telecommunications Appellate Tribunal Bill, 2024”.

This legislation aims to establish a tribunal dedicated to expediting the numerous telecom sector cases currently bogged down in the high courts.

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The committee’s second meeting, chaired by Member National Assembly (MNA) Syed Aminul Haq took place at the Parliament House on Tuesday.

Detailed discussions were held on the bill, which proposes setting up a tribunal to swiftly resolve telecom cases. Presently, these cases are delayed in the high courts, but once the tribunal is established, they will be transferred and resolved within 90 days.

The committee was briefed that there are currently 71 telecom cases pending in the High Court, which will be moved to the tribunal after the bill is passed. The Supreme Court of Pakistan will serve as the appellate forum for tribunal decisions.

The committee also sought clarity on the procedure for appointing the tribunal’s chairperson and its appointing authority. It recommended that the Ministry consult with the Ministry of Law and Justice to propose any necessary amendments in the next meeting. Consequently, the bill has been deferred until the committee’s next session.

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In addition, the committee was informed that a 5G spectrum auction is being considered and is likely to take place in March 2025. The committee urged the ministry to ensure that service providers deliver high-quality 5G services in major cities post-auction. It also recommended incentivising service providers to invest the auction proceeds into infrastructure improvements to guarantee uninterrupted 5G services nationwide.