A heated meeting took place in the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT, where lawmakers severely criticized the poor quality of mobile and internet services across Pakistan.
Mahesh Kumar Malani complained that 75% of Sindh still receives only ‘E’ signal instead of 4G, while Sadiq Ali Memon said internet performance in Islamabad and Thatta has been getting “worse and worse.”
PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqi said the quality of service is unsatisfactory in every part of the country, adding that sudden service shutdowns are common in some areas due to security concerns. She expressed frustration that despite repeated issues, no representative from the Interior Ministry has ever appeared before the committee.
“Even inside the Parliament House, mobile and internet services fail,” she said. “Yet we are told everything is fine.”
Engineer Rana Atique echoed the concerns, saying he cannot even make a call while driving on the Lahore Ring Road. He said:
If Lahore and Karachi have such problems, imagine the rest of the country. People in my constituency will throw shoes at me. They ask what we are even doing here.
Committee member Paveen Baloch said that her region has been neglected for years. “We have no internet. No one has visited our area despite constant requests,” she said.
PTA officials stated that mobile operators decide tower placement based on commercial needs and that PTA only ensures compliance and conducts nationwide service quality surveys. They said action is taken whenever complaints are registered.
Lawmakers remained unconvinced, saying service has not improved despite years of monitoring. Committee members demanded that PTA appoint dedicated focal persons to handle parliamentary complaints. PTA agreed to do so.