Committee recommends changes in contentious telecom bill

ISLAMABAD: A committee constituted by the prime minister has recommended changes in the contentious Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, sources said.

A sub-committee has submitted its report to the review committee headed by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar. The review report is expected to be submitted to the prime minister today, sources said.

According to sources, the sub-committee has prepared a new draft of the bill while addressing the objections over the contentious clauses of the legislation bill.

“To make the bill people friendly and ensure protection of the public property of citizens, alterations have been made in the bill,” sources said.

The clause of the bill pertaining to the fiberization at the private property and other telecom installations, has been reviewed, sources shared. The proposal of free right of the way on the public property has also reviewed. “A proposal has been added to the legislation under which the government will be paid an appropriate compensation for telecom installations on the state land,” sources said.

Sources said that the government’s financial interests have also been protected in the Telecommunication (Re-organisation) (Amendment) Bill.

The fresh draft of the bill has been prepared while in view of the interests of the public, government and the telecom sector, according to sources.

An effort has been made to make the final draft acceptable to the government as well as to the telecom sector, sources added.

Most debated provisions of bill

Among the most debated provisions of the earlier bill were proposed Sections 27-A and 27-B, which deal with the installation of telecommunications infrastructure on private and public property.

According to the proposed framework, telecommunications operators may seek access to any private property for the installation, deployment, operation, maintenance, or upgrading of communication infrastructure, including fibre-optic networks, telecom towers, generators, equipment, and related facilities.

Critics argue that the proposed provisions could significantly limit the ability of property owners to refuse such installations on their land.

Under the draft law, disputes between telecom operators and property owners would first be subject to negotiations.

The property owner would have 30 days to respond. If no agreement is reached, the telecom operator may issue a reminder notice, after which the matter could be referred to a designated government official for resolution. The official would announce the decision and would also determine the compensation or rent payable for the use of the property.

The decision would be binding, and failure to comply could result in hefty penalties for the land owner, including fines of up to Rs50 million under certain circumstances.

The bill also stated that the telecom companies may install their equipment in public parks and other public properties without charge to facilitate network expansion.