Govt withdraws controversial telecom bill, to bring new draft of proposed legislation

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday withdrew a controversial bill that sought to give telecom licensees sweeping powers to install infrastructure on public and private land, saying it would introduce a new draft of the proposed legislation. The bill, seeking changes to a 1996 act, was originally tabled by Shaza Fatima Khawaja and approved by the National Assembly on June 11 by a majority vote, a day before the presentation of the federal budget 2026-27. It was then taken up in the Senate, where objections were raised about its clauses. On Friday, a motion to withdraw the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was moved in the upper house of Parliament by Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on behalf of Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja. The motion was passed by the House as the stipulated 90-day period for the bill’s passage was nearing expiry. “Upon expiry of the prescribed period, the bill would have proceeded to a joint sitting of Parliament, the convening of which may not take place in the near future,” the Ministry of Information Technology said in a statement. “In order to avoid delays and expedite the legislative pro