ISLAMABAD:

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has prepared a new draft of the Telecom Reorganisation Amendment Bill, incorporating recommendations made by a committee constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to review contentious provisions of the legislation, sources said.

The new draft has been prepared in light of recommendations submitted by the prime minister’s committee and is expected to be presented before the National Assembly during its upcoming session, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Before placing the legislation before the lower house, the government is expected to take its coalition partners into confidence over the proposed amendments, signalling an effort to build wider political consensus around the revised bill.

The development comes after the government withdrew the controversial Telecom Reorganisation Amendment Bill 2026 from the Senate on August 28, 2026, before the legislation completed its 90-day constitutional period.

The bill had originally been approved by the National Assembly on June 11, 2026, after which it was forwarded to the Senate for consideration. The Senate subsequently referred the legislation to its standing committee on June 15.

The proposed legislation later became the subject of controversy, particularly over provisions concerning private property and right-of-way, prompting questions from lawmakers and criticism on social media.

Following the criticism, the prime minister took notice of the issue and constituted a committee headed by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to examine the disputed provisions of the bill and suggest changes aimed at addressing concerns raised by different stakeholders.

The committee reviewed the legislation and proposed amendments, including measures relating to the protection of private properties and necessary changes concerning rights of way.

The government subsequently decided to withdraw the bill from the Senate before the completion of its 90-day constitutional period. Under the parliamentary procedure cited in the matter, legislation not acted upon within the stipulated period would have to be taken up in a joint sitting of Parliament.

With no joint sitting of Parliament scheduled, the government opted to withdraw the bill and announced that a revised version would be prepared.

The new draft now represents the government’s latest attempt to move forward with amendments to the telecom regulatory framework while addressing concerns that had emerged over property rights and right-of-way provisions.

Sources said the government would seek the support of its coalition partners before introducing the revised legislation in the National Assembly, potentially paving the way for the bill to move through Parliament with fewer objections.

The development will be closely watched by telecom operators and other stakeholders, as amendments concerning right-of-way and infrastructure access can have a direct bearing on the expansion and deployment of telecommunications networks across the country.

The revised bill is expected to provide the government an opportunity to address the disputed provisions while retaining the broader objective of updating Pakistan’s telecom legislation.