Auction must be carried out without interruption: SC

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the federal government that the process of 3G/4G spectrum auction should be carried out without any interruption.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja resumed the hearing of a petition filed by Khurram Shehzad Chughtai, an IT expert, who had sought a court order for the government to complete the process of auctioning 3G spectrum licences on an urgent basis.

The court said that 3G/4G auction should take place without any interruption on April 23. The court ordered that the revenue generated from the auction process should be deposited in the federal consolidated fund until the court passed a final judgment about the account to which the money would be transferred.

During the course of proceedings, Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PT) chairman, Ismail Shah, apprised the court that as many as four cellular companies have expressed interest in the auction, adding that the companies have deposited 15 percent bidding fee which had been deposited to the PTA account.

Shah was optimistic that more than $1.3 billion revenue would be generated though the auction.

The Attorney General for Pakistan Salman Aslam Butt informed the court that as per Article 70-A of the constitution revenue generated through such bidding process belonged to the Federation and must be deposited in the federal consolidated fund.

The court adjourned the proceedings of case till the third week of May.