'Stop using Asaan Mobile Account': VRG takes strong exception to PTA's action

ISLAMABAD: The Virtual Remittance Gateway (VRG) has taken strong exception to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's (PTA) action of advising the public at large and former business partners to stop using Asaan Mobile Account (AMA) scheme without allowing an opportunity of being heard.

The gateway has stated that the VRG's advertisement on 14th August 2020 was issued to create awareness among the masses on the occasion of "Independence Day". As this day will not come until the next year, the VRG thought, in all good faith, that it is appropriate to take people of Pakistan on board on VRG's preparedness and "readiness to launch" the commercial services soon and to give people the gift of AMA Scheme, but this gift will not be given until the PTA allows VRG to do so, for which people have been waiting for since many years.

In its advertisement, the VRG has not in any manner mentioned that it has launched commercial services (in Pakistan or AJK and GB) without the PTA's commencement certificate, it added.

The VRG has intentionally avoided the words "launch" and "commencement of operations", and only talked about readiness and being commercially operational. Since, VRG started the pilot phase on the PTA's direction; the people of Pakistan have opened 108,280 AMA accounts, and completed much more than 3.2 million transactions, all free of cost.

The VRG is bearing all these costs for all these activities to help the poor people and satisfy the PTA's requirements under the law and the license conditions. The VRG has not charged any of its business partners for these transactions.

Meanwhile, the PTA issued its own press release and advised the public at large and our business partners to stop using AMA Scheme without even allowing VRG an opportunity of being heard or waiting for VRG's feedback and reply to PTA's own given deadline of three and half hours.

"This is not only illegal and contrary to the provisions of Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act, 1996 and Article 10-A of the Constitution of Pakistan but against all just and fair norms of the society."

The PTA punished VRG without giving VRG an opportunity of being heard or defending its position. The VRG reserves its right to challenge this "hasty and uncalled for" action of the PTA, which was without application of its judicious mind and contrary to law and justice.

The VRG is of the view that financial inclusion scheme was an initiative of the SBP from whom VRG already had a license and Final Authorization (Commencement Certificate) since April 9th, 2020.

It would have been appropriate if the PTA had consulted the SBP prior to issuing the press release and causing the VRG, the AMA Scheme and SBP's initiative an irreparable loss and damage.

As PTA's press release mentions, the AJK and GB, VRG has not mentioned AJK and GB in its advertisement and still clueless from where PTA picked this up; VRG just highlighted the status of its integration with SCO, which is a fact and does not amount to any violation as VRG is not launching any AMA Scheme in AJK and GB without the PTA's express permission/license, it added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020