The National Assembly on Thursday passed the Pakistan Telecommunication Re-Organization Amendment Bill 2025 by a majority vote during a session chaired by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. The bill was presented in the House by Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja.
During the proceedings, a proposed amendment moved by government lawmaker Huma Akhtar Chughtai was also approved by the House. However, she was unable to clearly explain the details of her own amendment on the floor, prompting the IT Minister to step in and brief the House on its provisions.
The minister clarified that one of the key changes relates to adjustments in the retirement age limit of an Appellate Tribunal judge, aimed at improving administrative efficiency within the relevant legal framework.
Separately, amendments proposed by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Naveed Qamar were also adopted. Speaking on the floor of the House, Qamar highlighted that disputes are likely to arise in the installation of fiber-optic cables for 5G infrastructure, particularly concerning Right of Way (RoW) permissions.
Under the approved changes, authority for resolving such RoW-related disputes will be delegated to provincial and relevant local governments, while a clear limit on penalties for such cases will also be established to ensure uniformity and transparency in enforcement.