ISLAMABAD
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology, chaired by Ameen Ul Haque, on Tuesday approved the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-Organization) Amendment Bill 2026 after conducting a clause-by-clause review.
The proposed legislation aims to accelerate the expansion of internet and mobile network infrastructure across the country, while strengthening regulatory oversight mechanisms.
According to officials, the amendment seeks to streamline procedures related to the rollout of telecom infrastructure, including simplifying the Right of Way (RoW) process for laying fibre optic cables — a key hurdle in broadband expansion projects.
The bill also proposes enhanced government oversight of the telecom regulator and relevant public sector institutions to improve governance and accountability within the sector.
Under the proposed changes, the board of the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) will be restructured in line with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) governance framework.
During the meeting, the committee deferred approval of the Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Bill 2026 for further deliberations.
Review of the Ministry of IT’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects was also postponed due to the ongoing session of the National Assembly. The committee decided that PSDP projects would be taken up in its next meeting.
Lawmakers said the amendments are intended to support digital infrastructure growth and improve regulatory efficiency in Pakistan’s rapidly evolving telecom sector.
