The federal government has constituted a five member committee to be headed by Minister of State for Communications, Murad Saeed, for the appointment of Member (Technical) and Member (Compliance & Enforcement), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
The committee comprises of Secretary Information Technology, Additional Secretary Law and Justice, Additional Secretary Establishment Division, and Additional Secretary Cabinet Division while it would be chaired by the Minister of State for Communications.
A notification issued by the Cabinet Division states:
In pursuance of Section-3(2) OF Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act 1996 read with Rule 4(4) and Schedule-II of PTA Chairman and Members (Appointment and Qualifications) Rules 2013, the Prime Minister has been pleased to nominate Head/chairman of following selection committee constituted for appointment of Member (Technical) and Member (Compliance &Enforcement), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). (i) Murad Saeed, Minister of State for Communications (Chairman), (ii) Secretary, Ministry of Information Technology (Member), (iii) Additional Secretary, Cabinet Division, (iv) Additional Secretary, Establishment Division, and (v) Additional Secretary Law and Justice Division.
The government has initiated the process to appoint the new chairman and member (compliance & enforcement) of PTA, which have remained vacant for about a year, affecting the performance of the Authority.
ALSO READ
PTA Wants Telcos to Upgrade Their Infrastructure to Ensure Security
The previous government had advertised the position twice but shelved the process after failing to get suitable candidates.
Cabinet Division has asked for fresh applications from suitable Pakistanis on open merit for the post of Member (Technical) in PTA, after which the Member would assume the charge of the chairmanship. The Division has also asked for applications for the post of Member Compliance & Enforcement.
The tenure of former Chairman PTA, Ismail Shah, completed on November 13, 2017, while Abdul Samad, former Member Compliance & Enforcement PTA completed his four-year term in June 2018.
Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had denied extension for a second tenure to the former chairman PTA, while saying that the purpose of contract appointments was to ensure that the government retains the option to seek more qualified and better human resources from the market on the completion of a tenure, particularly, in a fast developing sector like the telecom in Pakistan.
There is no mention or requirement of registration with Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) for the degree. According to the fresh criteria, the person appointed as members shall be paid the salary and be entitled to the privileges of an officer in MP-II scale (Rs.181500-27, 225-290,400). Cabinet Division has invited applications from suitable citizens of Pakistan having following qualifications and experience for the appointment (on open merit basis) for the posts of the member (Technical) and member (Compliance & Enforcement) in PTA.
For member (Compliance & Enforcement), the applicant should have:
- Ph.D / professional charter in Business/Finance/ Regulatory Economics / Administration/ Corporate management / Telecommunication / Computer Sciences /Information Technology from Foreign/local Institutions with 15 years of experience including at least five years at the top management level
- Or a Master Degree in the above disciplines or LLM from a foreign or local university with 18 years of relevant experience in public/private sector.
For member (Technical), the requirements state:
- PhD in Telecom, Electronics or Electrical Engineering with major in Telecommunications, with fifteen (15) years of relevant experience in a responsible position in public or private sector
- Or MSc /M.S (Electrical/ Electronics/Telecommunications Engineering with major in Telecommunications or in a related discipline with a minimum of eighteen (18) years experience in a responsible position in public /private sector.
- The experience of working in the field of Telecommunications/ Regulatory organization will be preferred.
According to the previous advertisement for member (Technical), PhD in Telecom, Electronics or Electrical Engineering with major in Telecommunications, with fifteen (15) years of relevant experience with at least five years at top management level was required.
The appointment of Member shall be for a term of four years and the incumbent shall be eligible for re-appointment on similar term or terms subject to the condition that a member shall cease to hold office on attaining the age of sixty-five (65) years.
The selected candidates will have to resign from their previous jobs and sever all their connections/liens with their parent job/organization before joining under this new contract in MP scale.
The selected candidates shall not have any direct or indirect financial interest in, or have a business connection with any person, any establishment or firm which renders telecommunication services in Pakistan or abroad and supplies telecommunication equipment to any telecommunication sector in Pakistan or abroad.
