The court also ordered Legal Secretary Raja Naeem Akbar and Cabinet Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal to appear before the court.
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday warned that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif may be summoned if the appointment of a Finance member to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) tribunal is not made by May 18.
Hearing a case regarding the non-appointment, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani said: “The prime minister should appear and explain why the appointment was not made.”
The court also ordered Legal Secretary Raja Naeem Akbar and Cabinet Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal to appear before the court.
The Telecommunications Appellate Tribunal is a statutory body established under the Telecommunications Appellate Tribunal Establishment Act, 2024, which was enacted by amending the Pakistan Telecommunications (Reorganization) Act, 1996 and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
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It was designed to serve as the primary appellate forum for telecommunications and related regulatory disputes. Its primary objective is to provide a specialized, faster and expert forum for regulatory disputes related to telecommunications and cybersecurity.
The Tribunal is composed of three members: a chairperson who is a former High Court judge or senior advocate, a technical expert in ICT or related fields, and a financial expert with relevant professional experience.
During the proceedings, the Deputy Attorney General informed the court that a retired judge had been appointed as a member of the court.
Justice Kayani made harsh remarks on the practice of appointing retired judges to such positions, saying it had “caused more damage”. He added that retired judges were too interested in joining the courts.
“At night, they remember greetings and do not let others sleep,” the judge remarked.
“If someone feels like it, they are appointed to the NRC, while others go to another court,” he added.
