The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication met at Parliament Lodges, Islamabad, under the chair of Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan, with Senators Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, Sadia Abbasi and Atta-ur-Rehman in attendance to discuss continuity and regulation of telecom services across the country.
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication responded to a Point of Public Importance about alleged mobile service interruptions in District Lakki Marwat, reporting that records show no suspension in Behram Khel on Tajori Road. Officials said Point of Contact details can be shared with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to pinpoint and fix any localized problem, and clarified that service suspensions are processed by the Ministry of Interior which issues directions to PTA for operator implementation.
The Committee chair directed immediate repair of non-functional towers and ordered telecom operators and regulators to switch to solar-powered solutions to ensure uninterrupted telecom services during load shedding, stressing that reliable connectivity is essential for public safety and commerce in affected districts.
The Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication briefed senators on rising mobile data and call package costs and outlined consumer protection measures. The Ministry highlighted that Pakistan remains competitive on data-only mobile broadband rates in the region, with affordability flagged as a core measure of national digital progress while the Committee urged continued oversight to protect consumers.
The Chairman of PTA detailed the licensing regime for Virtual Private Network services, noting that applicants must be legally registered entities to obtain a Data Class License. PTA has issued six Data Class Licenses specifically for data services and allowed one entity to operate under an existing license; five of seven licensees have secured commencement certificates to start operations.
Officials from the Ministry of Interior and the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad described safeguards around information collected via the ICT Household Survey App, a door-to-door exercise launched under the Prime Minister’s directives in partnership with NADRA to improve public security and residential records. To date 28,594 surveys have been completed, covering homeowners, tenants, foreign nationals and domestic workers, and officials outlined vehicle monitoring via E-Tags, data centre controls and real-time security measures.
Committee members expressed serious concern about reported leaks and sale of private data of prominent individuals. Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan demanded strict action and penalties for any NADRA officials implicated in data leakage and the chair directed NADRA representatives to appear at the next meeting to respond to these allegations and detail further data protection steps.
The Director General of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency briefed the Committee on media reports of illegal payments of Rs. 1.5 crore per month from purported illegal call centres, confirming that two First Information Reports have been registered in Lahore and Islamabad. The chair instructed that representatives of the Federal Investigation Agency be present at the next session to update progress on the investigations.
The PTA chairman also presented findings from the latest PTCL audit and provided details on Ufone’s board including member designations, meeting fees and frequency over the last two years. The Chief Executive Officer of the Universal Service Fund submitted a compliance report addressing mobile network complaints from senators in areas including the Sukkur–Karachi corridor (M-9/N-5), parts of Balochistan, Tehsil Kharoro Syed in Umerkot, Gali Samli in Abbottabad and District Kashmore.
To pursue unresolved network and oversight matters, the chair directed that Senator Poonjo Bheel and MNA Ali Jan Mazari be invited to the next Committee meeting for further deliberations and follow up on remedial actions to strengthen telecom services and data safeguards nationwide.
