ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: The Supreme Court extended by 10 days on Monday the time given to the government to fill the vacant offices of the chairman and three members of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Tassadug Hussain Jillani had taken up the petition of Khurram Shehzad Chughtai, an information technology expert, who had sought a directive for the government to complete the process of auctioning 3G spectrum licences within 60 days in a transparent manner and ensure the availability of the service to the people at the earliest.

The court had ordered the government on Sept 2 to appoint the chairman and three members of the PTA in 10 days by processing the 165 applications the regulator has received for the posts.

Appearing on the court notice, Deputy Attorney General Imranul Haq sought more time and assured the bench that the appointments would be made as early as possible.