Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication

PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman stated the party will not support the Pakistan Telecommunication (Amendment) Bill 2026 in the Senate unless it undergoes thorough debate in the standing committee and includes PPP's proposed deletions. The bill, criticized for allowing telecom companies to use public land without fees, was approved by the National Assembly but stalled in the Senate due to objections over clause 27-A, which deals with land acquisition. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a committee to review the bill, but PPP insists revisions must be processed through the Senate committee.

The opposition alliance TTAP demanded the removal of IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja over the controversial Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) (Amendment) Bill 2026, which allows telecom operators to install towers on private property without consent and imposes heavy fines on property owners. The bill, approved by the National Assembly, is pending in the Senate, and TTAP criticized its passage as anti-people, unprofessional, and lacking public consultation.

The IT ministry clarified that proposed amendments to Pakistan's telecom laws do not mandate compulsory acquisition of private land for infrastructure. The Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) (Amendment) Bill 2026, approved by the National Assembly, aims to streamline infrastructure deployment while safeguarding private property rights through Right of Way (ROW) provisions.