The court also ordered Law Secretary, Raja Naeem Akbar, Cabinet Secretary, Kamran Ali Afzal to appear before the court
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) warned on Tuesday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif may be summoned if the appointment of a member finance to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) tribunal is not made by May 18.
Hearing a case on the non-appointment, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani said, “The Prime Minister should appear and explain why the appointment has not been made”.
The court also ordered the law secretary, Raja Naeem Akbar, and the cabinet secretary, Kamran Ali Afzal, to appear before the court.
The Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal is a statutory body established under the Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal Establishment Act, 2024, which was enacted by amending the Pakistan Telecommunications (Reorganization) Act, 1996 and the Electronic Crime Prevention Act, 2016.
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It was designed to serve as the primary appellate forum for telecommunications and related regulatory disputes. Its core purpose is to provide a specialized, faster and expert forum for telecom and cyber-related regulatory disputes.
The court consists of three members: a chairman who is a former high court judge or senior lawyer, a technical expert in ICT or related fields and a financial expert with relevant professional experience.
During the proceedings, the Assistant Attorney General informed the court that a retired judge had been appointed as a member of the court.
Justice Kayani made strong remarks about the practice of appointing retired judges to such positions, saying they had “caused more harm”. He added that retired judges were too keen to join the courts.
“At night they remember the salutes and do not let others sleep,” remarked the judge.
“If anyone wants, they are appointed in the NRC, while others go to another tribunal,” he added.
