A newly established Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal has officially begun operations, taking over telecom-related cases from high courts in a move aimed at speeding up dispute resolution in the sector.

Around 30 cases have already been transferred from the Islamabad High Court to the tribunal, marking the start of a broader shift of telecom litigation to the specialized forum. Sources indicate that dozens of similar cases are pending across various high courts in the country.

The tribunal has been set up under the Establishment of Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal Act, 2024, with a clear mandate to decide cases within 90 days. The reform is intended to reduce prolonged litigation and provide faster resolutions for disputes involving telecom operators and regulators.

Initially, the tribunal is operating from the Customs Tribunal building in Islamabad’s G-10 sector. It is expected to shift to a permanent location in the NITB and NIC complex in H-9 once renovation work is completed, likely within a month.

Former Lahore High Court judge Muhammad Tariq Abbasi is serving as Chairperson of the tribunal, while Imad Memon has been appointed as Technical Member. However, the position of Finance Member is still vacant, which has temporarily slowed proceedings in complex financial matters.

Despite this, the tribunal has begun reviewing transferred case records. Simpler disputes, particularly those related to quality-of-service penalties imposed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), are expected to be taken up first due to their straightforward nature.

Once fully functional, the tribunal will serve as the primary appellate forum for telecom and IT sector disputes, with further appeals against its decisions lying with the Supreme Court of Pakistan within 60 days.