Govt Moves 20 LDI Cases to Telecom Tribunal Over Rs. 84 Billion in Unpaid Dues

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority revealed that around Rs. 84 billion in unpaid dues and late payment surcharges remain owed to the government by long-distance international (LDI) companies. During a Senate committee meeting, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications informed the committee that licenses of some LDI companies had lapsed.

Subsequently, the PTA issued orders against these companies, which then appealed the orders at the courts. Presently, 38 cases involving LDI companies are being heard in various courts. The authority has also communicated the issue to the attorney general and judicial forums. Out of these, 20 cases have been transferred to the newly established Telecom Tribunal.

The tribunal, with its chairperson and members appointed, has commenced operations. The Ministry of IT believes that the tribunal will expedite the resolution of telecom-related disputes. However, companies are allowed to appeal decisions made by the tribunal to the Supreme Court. The committee instructed the pertinent authorities to provide a progress report on the recovery issue at their subsequent meeting.