The Cabinet Division requested that Major General (Retd) Amir Azeem Bajwa serve as Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) through January 21, 2023, but Bajwa rejected the request, putting the federal government in a difficult position as it attempts to nominate an acting chairman.
The procedure for choosing the next PTA Chairman has begun, however sources told ProPakistani that the post of Acting Chairman until the permanent position is filled is likely susceptible to a few legal issues that might seriously affect the authority’s day-to-day operations.
As things stand, Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar, Senior Member PTA (Compliance & Enforcement), will retire on January 10th. Farhatullah Babar, the head of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has already filed a High Court lawsuit challenging the reappointment of Member Finance Muhammad Naveed.
According to sources, these members’ existing positions may cause the appointment of the Acting Chairman PTA to be postponed. It should be noted that the federal cabinet has also received the executive summary of Member Compliance’s tenure renewal.
In any case, officials from the Cabinet Division stated that the federal government will fill the position of the Acting Chairman PTA in accordance with the law despite reports that several significant frameworks within the regulator’s purview may experience delays as a result of the various obstacles to the appointment of an Acting Chairman. Relevantly, although a deadline has not yet been set, the procedure to permanently fill the PTA hot seat is currently under progress.
