Senate Panel Questions Mobile Phone Taxes as Officials Warn of Policy Uncertainty
ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee on Tuesday questioned Pakistan’s mobile phone taxation regime, with lawmakers calling for policies that support consumers and businesses rather than adding to their financial burden. The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat was told by Federal…
Pakistan Emerges as World’s Third-Largest Crypto Market, Virtual Assets Regulator Tells Senate Panel
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has emerged as the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency market, with around 40 million Pakistanis holding crypto accounts, Chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Bilal Bin Saqib told a Senate committee. Briefing the committee, Saqib said the…
Senate Panel Calls for Immediate Cut in Taxes on Imported Mobile Phones
ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee has recommended an immediate reduction in taxes on imported mobile phones, amid concerns over the mechanism used to determine their prices and the resulting burden on consumers. The recommendation was made during a meeting of the…
Mobile Package Prices Rise Up to 22% in One Year, Government Tells Senate
ISLAMABAD: Mobile tariffs in Pakistan increased by between 12% and 22% over the year from June 2025 to June 2026, the government has confirmed in a written response submitted to the Senate. The figures were shared by the Minister in…
Pakistan Moves to Create Centralised Criminal Database With Unique IDs
Pakistan’s Interior Ministry is moving to establish a centralised national criminal database that would bring together law-enforcement records from across the country and assign a unique identification number to individuals listed as offenders. Under the proposed system, criminal records currently…
Pakistan Completes National Semiconductor Cluster Framework as NED Joins SERC
Pakistan has completed the institutional framework for its national semiconductor education and research clusters with NED University of Engineering & Technology formally joining the South Region under the government’s semiconductor development programme. Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima…
Meta to Pay Up to $18 Billion in Landmark US Settlement Over Teen Safety
Meta has agreed to pay up to $18 billion over the next decade and introduce new restrictions for teenage users under a sweeping settlement with nearly all US states over allegations that its platforms contributed to social media addiction among…