Islamabad: The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication convened under the leadership of Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan to address key issues including telecom competition rules, internet performance, social media regulation, cyber fraud, and consumer tariffs. Discussions highlighted ongoing consultations with telecom operators and stakeholders to refine competition rules, and steps were taken to investigate allegations of telecom overcharging.
According to Senate of Pakistan, the meeting was attended by Senators Kamran Murtaza, Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, Saadia Abbasi, and Shahadat Awan. Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, along with senior officials from the Ministry, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and other departments participated.
Ministry officials emphasized the necessity of consultations with telecom operators before finalizing competition rules, with assurances that the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) would be involved. The Committee also examined unresolved property issues related to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and agreed to discuss this with the Senate Standing Committee on Privatisation.
The NCCIA’s Additional Director provided insights into actions taken against blasphemous online content, and the Committee urged expedited investigations. It also stressed the need for a national social media application for secure communication.
Updates were presented on a Rs172 billion fraud allegedly conducted via call centers, with FIA officials indicating the involvement of short-term registered companies. The NCCIA was tasked with further investigation due to its technical expertise. Additionally, the Committee discussed the need for improvements in Pakistan’s visa issuance system and better mechanisms by the State Bank of Pakistan and SECP.
Allegations against a major telecom company for overcharging consumers led the Committee to form a Sub-Committee to further probe the issue.