Pakistan Establishes Special Telecom Tribunal For The First Time In History

According to the latest reports, Pakistan has recently established a specialized tribunal to resolve legal disputes related to Pakistan’s telecom sector. This tribunal aims to resolve legal matters much faster according to caretaker IT Minister Dr. Umar Saif. He said that the establishment of the tribunal was a long-standing demand of the telecom sector, and the industry finally got a big relief.

Establishment of Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal for the first time in the history of Pakistan

The tribunal will function under the Presidential Ordinance in the absence of Parliament. The telecom tribunal will help to deal with several pending cases immediately. The Ministry of Law will nominate the tribunal chairperson and members according to the ordinance. The Chairperson of the Tribunal can be made only by a High Court judge or a lawyer with 15 years of experience. Moreover, the members of the Telecom Tribunal will be technocrats. The tribunal will be bound to decide within 90 days on the appeal against the decision of PTA. 

Reports claim that the tribunal will deal with appeals that arise out of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in the exercise of its powers. The Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal will comprise of technical experts who will give their decision on appeals filed by dissatisfied parties holistically and speedily, as per the draft bill of the ordinance for the tribunal. The tribunal will help reduce the burden of Pakistani high courts in the adjudication of technical matters. Umar Saif stated:

“Telecom sector disputes and cases will now be handled by a specialized tribunal, instead of high courts. This will help resolve legal issues much faster and help us move this sector forward rapidly.”