ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has granted interim relief to Ufone and Telenor Pakistan by suspending the recovery of millions of rupees in fines imposed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and issuing notices to the federal government and the telecom regulator.
Justice Inam Amin Minhas heard four constitutional petitions filed by Ufone and Telenor challenging PTA enforcement orders and subsequent proceedings before the Telecom Appellate Tribunal. The court directed the respondents to submit their replies within three weeks and fixed the matter for hearing after the summer vacations.
According to court documents, Telenor Pakistan challenged a PTA enforcement order carrying a fine of Rs155.6 million, while one of the petitions filed by Pakistan Telecommunication Mobile Limited (Ufone) relates to a penalty of Rs194.5 million.
The telecom operators argued that the Telecom Appellate Tribunal had unlawfully linked the hearing of their appeals with the submission of security or guarantees, despite no such requirement being provided under the relevant law.
The court, after a preliminary hearing, restrained PTA from recovering the disputed amounts until the next hearing.
