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The National Assembly Session has been prorogued on Friday, the 28th August, 2026. | Committee Meetings: 11:00 AM: 20th meeting of the SC on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination at Constitution Room (2nd Floor), Parliament House , Islamabad | 02:00 PM: 24th meeting of the Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication (Revised, Change in Date & Time) at Committee Room No.7 (4th Floor), Parliament House, Islamabad | 02:00 PM: 12th meeting of the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat at Conference Room of Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA), 18th Floor, New State Life Tower, Blue Area, Islamabad | 02:30 PM: 25th meeting of the Sub-Committee-IV of the PAC on Monitoring & Implementation pertaining to M/o Housing & Works at Committee Room No.2, (1st Floor), Parliament House, Islamabad
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Standing Committee on Information Technology & Telecommunication meets

Thursday, 10th September, 2026
Islamabad, 10th September, 2026; The 24th meeting of the Standing Committee on Information Technology & Telecommunication was held today under the Chairmanship of Syed Amin ul Haq, MNA at 2:00 p.m. in Committee Room 7, Parliament House, Islamabad.
 
The Committee expressed concern over the poor and unsatisfactory state of internet services in the country. Briefing the Committee, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) stated that it regularly conducts surveys to ensure the Quality of Service (QoS) of internet and telecom services. The results of these surveys are shared with the concerned telecom operators, who are directed to improve the quality of their services within 30 days. According to the PTA, a re-survey is conducted after the stipulated period, and if deficiencies in the Quality of Service are still found, a Show-Cause Notice is issued to the concerned telecom operator and a fine is imposed in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations. The PTA informed the Committee that a fine of up to Rs. 350 million may be imposed on telecom operators. The PTA further apprised the Committee that a major issue arises when certain telecom operators, instead of paying the imposed fines, approach the courts, resulting in delays in legal proceedings and further prolonging the resolution of the matter, thereby hindering timely corrective action. The Committee directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to submit, in its next meeting, complete details of all Show-Cause Notices issued to telecom operators and fines imposed during the last six months. The Committee further directed the PTA to provide details of the amount recovered against the fines imposed and the outstanding amount yet to be recovered. The Committee also directed that representatives of all relevant telecom operators be invited to the next meeting to brief the Committee directly on the practical measures being taken to improve the existing internet services, upgrade the current infrastructure, and develop new telecom infrastructure across the country, with a view to ensuring improved and quality internet services for consumers.
 
The Member Telecom briefed the Committee that under the Finance Act, 2021, telecom operators were accorded the status of an industry. However, NEPRA (National Electric Power Regulatory Authority) has declined to recognize the telecom sector as an industry, reportedly on the grounds that telecom operators do not provide the required Value Addition. Taking note of the matter, the Committee directed the Member Telecom to prepare a detailed working paper covering the relevant legal, financial and technical aspects of the issue. The Committee further decided that representatives of NEPRA would be invited to the next meeting to deliberate upon the matter and take appropriate measures to facilitate the recognition of telecom operators as an industry. The Committee observed that granting industrial status to telecom operators could also help address issues related to electricity supply and load-shedding at telecom towers. Power outages sometimes result in the shutdown of telecom towers, adversely affecting the availability of mobile and internet signals. The Committee emphasized the need to find practical solutions to all related issues, including uninterrupted power supply, in order to improve the quality and reliability of internet and telecom services in the country.
 
The Committee took up the Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Bill, 2026 for consideration. During the deliberations, members belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) expressed their reservations, stating that the proposed amendments had not yet been discussed with the Parliamentary Legislative Committee of the Party due to which the Bill remains at the consultation stage. The Committee directed the Ministry of Finance to ensure the completion of the required consultations on the Bill. The Committee deferred further consideration of the Bill until its next meeting.
 
The following MNAs namely, Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Mr. Ahmad Atteeq Anwar, Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, Mr. Ammar Ahmad Khan Leghari, Ms. Shazia Fareed, Syed Ali Qasim Gillani, Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, Mr. Sadiq Ali Memon, Mr. Ahmad Saleem Siddiqui, Mr. Pullain Baloch, besides the officials of the Ministry and its attached departments attended the meeting.