A meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology was held under the chairmanship of Syed Amin-ul-Haq to discuss proposed amendments to the Pakistan Telecommunication Act.
Syed Amin-ul-Haq stated that positive amendments were being introduced to the Telecommunication Act. He emphasized that it is a democratic practice to take Parliament along in the legislative process.
Committee members raised concerns that they had not been taken into confidence regarding the bill. Chairperson Amin-ul-Haq acknowledged these concerns. PPP member Sharmila Farooqi said the government had not discussed the bill with the Pakistan Peoples Party’s legislative committee.
Minister of State for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima said there was urgency surrounding the bill due to requirements linked to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She added that compliance with IMF conditions had become mandatory because of the SOE framework.
Sharmila Farooqi said that if the bill were approved by the party’s legislative committee, they would not have any issue with it.
Fiberization Issues Discussed
During the meeting, Shaza Fatima suggested reading the bill quickly to save time.
Sharmila Farooqi said the amendment related to the Right of Way (RoW) would override all existing laws. In response, Shaza Fatima said all provinces had already issued notifications abolishing Right of Way charges.
Officials from the Ministry of Law stated that this is a special law and has been drafted accordingly.
Sharmila Farooqi said that under the new amendment, approvals would be granted within 22 days. She questioned whether all laws would be superseded for Right of Way.
She warned that this could mean no law would apply even if environmental damage occurred. She added that heritage sites could also be affected.
Shaza Fatima responded that the amendment clearly states that the licensee would be required to restore the site to its original condition.
Sharmila Farooqi said the amendment states that if a landowner does not respond within 21 days, a decision would be finalized. She argued that the landowner should be given notice and a proper hearing.
Concerns Over Citizens’ Rights
It was stated during the meeting that 98 percent of people use broadband through mobile phones.
Shaza Fatima said fiberization is not progressing because every landowner has turned it into a personal issue. She warned that if the situation continued, neither 5G nor the internet would function properly.
She stressed that obstacles to fiberization must be removed at all costs.
Sharmila Farooqi said citizens’ constitutional rights should not be violated. Shaza Fatima responded that no citizen’s constitutional rights were being infringed.
Debate Over SOE Requirements
In another session of the Standing Committee, further discussions were held on the proposed amendments.
Sharmila Farooqi said that under the new proposal, once a Managing Director is appointed, they cannot be removed for three years. She questioned how it was possible that an MD could not be removed for such a long period.
Shaza Fatima said this had become mandatory under the SOE Act. She added that she also had serious reservations about this provision but said it was necessary due to IMF conditions.
She further stated that the National Telecommunication Corporation would have three independent members.
Sharmila Farooqi pointed out that in the amendments, the term “federal cabinet” had been replaced with “prime minister.” Shaza Fatima explained that this change was made because everything was being sent to the federal cabinet, causing delays.
She added that the appointments of heads of IT ministry institutions were being delayed because of this process.
Committee Defers Telecom Amendment Bill
The Standing Committee eventually deferred the amendment bill.
Chairman Amin-ul-Haq said that the PML-N’s legislative committee would consult with the PPP’s legislative committee.
Shaza Fatima said that Azam Nazeer Tarar would discuss the matter with Naveed Qamar on behalf of the government.
