December 5, 2003	Friday	Shawwal 10, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: Jamaat-i-Islami chief and parliamentary leader of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal Qazi Hussain Ahmed has written a letter to President Gen Pervez Musharraf asking him to ensure transparency in privatization-cum-restructuring of Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL) and deregulation of telecom sector.

Through his letter, copies of which were released to the press on Thursday, he has drawn the attention of President Musharraf towards what he termed “arbitrary manner” in which privatization-cum-restructuring of the PTCL and de-regulation in telecom sector was being handled.

He said, under the PTCL reorganization act, 1996, the PTCL was to be regulated by Jan 1, 2003 which was not done even after lapse of almost one year.

Thereby, he said, the country had lost an opportunity in terms of potential investment in the telecom sector, expected due to the enthusiasm created by the cut-off date to end PTCL’s monopoly over basic telephony.

Mr Ahmed stated that the people at the helm of affairs, instead of being keen on deregulation were reportedly more zealous on a so called restructuring plan for the PTCL that telecom experts and private sector investors believed would kill the telecom deregulation process for which they had been waiting for years.

“The way this plan is being approved and processed by the concerned authorities in a matter of weeks without any homework and studies raises serious questions about the transparency of this whole process,” he said and added: “We believe that the PTCL, being a profitable public sector company was not in urgent need of privatization at the moment.”

He reminded the president that telecommunications sector was strategically sensitive for the country and “we must exercise extra caution” while offering the strategic assets to the companies or individuals belonging to countries that do not possess a particularly friendly approach towards Pakistan’s long- term strategic interests.

“We have learnt that the ministry of IT and Telecom has recently appointed an international consultant to conduct an in- depth study for the award of further licenses to cellular phone services.

“The consultant is appointed at a cost of Rs35 million and has yet to start its study. On the other hand, the PTA apparently under your directions has floated the expression of interest for award of additional cellular licenses completely disregarding the concerned ministry.

“This causes the industry and private sector investors to believe that this process is all fabricated and future licensees of cellular services have already been selected,” the letter said quoting Mr Ahmed.