Member’s appointment in Nepra Appellate tribunal: Law Ministry asks KP govt to send nominations

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Law and Justice has asked the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to send nominations for appointing of Member (Electricity) in NEPRA Appellate tribunal.

Earlier, Law Ministry had stated that the nominees proposed by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are all serving officers of PESCO, and the principal nominee, Engr Akhtar Hamid Khan (serving as CEO, PESCO), has been recommended for appointment on deputation basis. The proposed arrangement does not appear to be covered under the relevant statutory or regulatory provisions, as the MP Scales in this case are being used merely as benchmark scales.

Law Ministry argued that the appointment of a serving CEO of a DISCO on deputation in an Appellate Tribunal pertaining to the same sector may give rise to a potential conflict of interest.

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Moreover, in case any of the proposed panellists appointed against the post returns to his substantive position in PESCO after completion of tenure, it may lead to administrative complications.

Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been requested to send suitable nominations afresh for appointment of Member (Electricity) in the Tribunal as per relevant Act as well as in light of the observations of the Prime Minister’s Office for appointment as Member (Electricity) in the said Tribunal having its Headquarters in Islamabad, exercising its jurisdiction in the whole country.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has forwarded a panel of three officials to appoint one of them as Member (Finance) in the appellate tribunal under section 12A of the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Act, 2018.

According to an official communication with the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Punjab Energy Department has revealed that the Provincial Cabinet in its meeting held on February 14, 2024 approved the following panel of nominees for the appointment of Member (Finance), NEPRA, Appellate Tribunal Islamabad, in the order of precedence: (i) Salman Amin;(ii) SajidAkram; and (iii) Basharat Ali.

The sources said, Ministry of Law and Justice approached the Power Division on the nominations, saying that Law Division had moved the summary for approval of the Cabinet regarding appointment of Member (Finance) in the NEPRA Appellate Tribunal. In response, the Cabinet Division observed that provincial cabinet of Punjab, in its meeting held on February 14, 2024 approved the panel of nominees for the appointment of this position.

The Ministry of Law and Justice had sought viewpoint of Power Division on the nominations. According to sources, the Punjab government has endorsed the names of the panel, after which security clearance process of nominees is going on prior to submission of the summary to the Cabinet.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026