Proposed telecom law will not compel citizens to give up private property: minister

Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja has defended the proposed amendments to Pakistan's telecommunications law, saying the existing legal framework is outdated and unable to meet the demands of modern technologies such as 5G.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad alongside Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, the minister said the proposed bill would amend the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act, 1996, which was enacted during the era of 2G technology.

She said the current law no longer adequately addressed the needs of next-generation digital connectivity and that the amendments were aimed at attracting investment in digital infrastructure, expanding high-speed internet access and removing regulatory hurdles while protecting citizens' fundamental rights.

The minister noted that when the present government took office in 2024, only around three million households out of Pakistan's population of about 240 million had fibre-based internet connections.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar rejected allegations that the proposed legislation would financially benefit the IT minister or the IT secretary, calling such claims baseless.

He said a parliamentary committee had found no evidence that the bill was intended to favour any individual and noted that the National Assembly had passed it with six amendments.

Tarar said the legislation mainly sought to address issues involving housing societies that created hurdles to the development of telecom infrastructure despite agreements.

"The consent of property owners will remain mandatory before laying fibre-optic cables through private land," he said.

He added that no citizen would be compelled to allow telecom infrastructure on private property, stressing that the proposed law would not permit the forced use or occupation of privately owned land.