ISLAMABAD, AUGUST 15: The government is considering a number of options to settle outstanding debts against Long Distance International (LDI) companies, which total approximately Rs. 78.66 billion. These options include establishing rules for referee appointments and rendering the referee’s rulings unchallengeable in court.
In addition to the Late Payment Adjustment Fee (LPAF), which is worth Rs. 54.532 billion (total 24.134 + 54.532 = Rs. 78.666 billion), the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has filed a claim for Rs. 24.134 billion against the principal amount, according to official documents made available to Bloom Pakistan.
It may be possible to ask the Attorney General of Pakistan to personally come before the court and ask that the outstanding matters be resolved as soon as possible. In order to rule on stay requests as soon as possible, the hearings on stay orders must be scheduled daily. For the sake of expediting case resolution, cases falling under the same categories—such as APC for USF or non-renewal of LDI license presented by many LDI operators at the same court—should be grouped together.
Rules should be developed regarding the referee’s appointment and determination that they are not subject to judicial appeal.
PTA published notices on the determination of APC (Access Promotion Contribution) for the Universal Service Fund (USE) on March 31, 2008, January 6, 2009, and June 19, 2009. Because the aforementioned notices do not specifically name APC for USE, they are not relevant, and for that reason the LDI operators did not pay APC for the USF amount.
The LDI operators received demand notifications from PTA over the unpaid balance pertaining to APC for USF. The LDI operators contested the notification and the demand notice by bringing many lawsuits before different High Courts. Stay orders have been issued by the courts in opposition to the overdue payments being paid. The superior courts are now deliberating on a large number of judicial matters. 2008–2011 is the time frame in which the APC for USF amounts was not paid.
