The federal government on Sunday reiterated denials against allegations the I.T. ministry had prepared the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-Organization) Amendment Bill, 2026, to provide “undue benefit” to any individual or company.
Addressing a joint press conference with I.T. Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the allegations of financial benefit against the I.T. minister and I.T. secretary, made under the pretext of the bill, were unfounded. He said the parliamentary committee had found no evidence of any attempt to favor any individual, adding the National Assembly had passed the bill with six amendments.
The law minister said the legislation aimed to address issues involving housing societies that entered into agreements with telecom companies but later refused to allow the development of telecom infrastructure. He said the amended bill made clear that the consent of property owners was paramount and mandatory prior to laying fiber-optic cables through private land.
Tarar also stressed that any citizen who did not wish to allow telecom infrastructure on their private property had the legal right to refuse. He said the proposed law would not result in the forced use or occupation of anyone’s private property.
The I.T. minister, meanwhile, said she had requested Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order a formal inquiry into accusations that the bill had been devised to benefit any individual or company. She said she would fully accept responsibility if any wrongdoing were established through the probe and abide by the premier’s decision.
If, however, the allegations were found to be baseless, she said, she and the I.T. secretary reserved the legal right to pursue action under the Constitution and relevant laws after consulting legal experts.
The telecom bill triggered controversy after the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology raised concerns about its Right of Way provision, noting it risked infringing on the public’s right to property. The I.T. ministry, while accepting that certain wording in the legislation was flawed, maintained the right of way provisions did not allow telecom operators to enter individual private property without the owner’s permission or due legal process. Further, it said, the bill does not authorize compulsory acquisition of private land.