Senate Committee to hear details of 3G, 4G auction today
ISLAMABAD: A Senate Committee will today listen to the version of the government on various key matters related to the 3G and 4G auctions.
The committee will hear about the “legal justification of constituting the auction committee that supersedes the powers/authority of PTA” (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) “in violation of the laws.”
The forum on information technology & telecommunications headed by Senator Idrees Safi will hear the government on the constitution and composition of the committee for 3G/4G auction as per its agenda, circulated among its 13 members.
The Senate body wants to know the justification of designation of the federal finance minister as the chairman of the auction committee, and reasons behind failure of appointing the Member, Enforcement, PTA.
According to its agenda, the committee wishes to be aware of the reasons for allowing the Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL) to use 3G technology before its auction.
The details of receivables of the Universal Service Fund (USF) and Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the list of defaulters as well as the causes of failure in recovering the receivables from the defaulters have also been sought. The committee wants a detailed briefing and reasons for non-implementation of its recommendations made in its meeting held on February 26, 2013 regarding reinstatement of Riaz Ashar Siddique as the Chief Executive Officer of USF, who was “illegally removed” from the post.
It has also sought the status of suspension of cross-border connectivity with the neighbouring countries like Iran, India and Afghanistan and provision of telecom services to the government by the private sector.
The committee comprises Rehman Malik, Hari Ram, Osman Saifullah, Farhat Abbas, Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail, Zahid Khan, Shirala Malik, Abdul Haseeb Khan, Mohsin Leghari, Rafiq Rajwana and Hafiz Hamdullah.
Meanwhile, the Function Committee on Human Rights, headed by Afrasiab Khattak, which meets on April 21, will hold a detailed discussion on “allegedly fake police encounters especially in Sindh and Punjab.”
It will also discuss the issue of crimes against women in the name of “Sawara” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), “Wani” in Punjab and “karokare” in Sindh (honour killing) and the steps taken by the federal and provincial governments to eradicate these evils; and human rights violation of labourers working in brick kilns. Its sub-committee will present its report on threat to environment of Pakistan.
The same Senate committee will also hold a two-day session later this month to know the steps being taken to bring harmony among various groups; details of the banned Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) of the civil society along with the reasons; illegal detainees in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) with special reference to Baba Jan of Hunza district; briefing on allegedly discriminatory treatment among various segments and communities living in GB and action taken by the government in this regard.
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