Overview
- The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication has initiated formal withdrawal of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re‑organisation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and will place the motion before the Senate.
- Officials said the move avoids a delayed joint sitting under the bill’s 90‑day window and allows the government to file a new draft that preserves the amendment’s main goals.
- The original draft rewrote Right‑of‑Way (RoW) rules by requiring prior written consent for work on private property, setting time limits for decisions on common and public property, and creating exemptions and fines to enforce access.
- Major parties including PTI and PPP criticised the draft and urged more scrutiny, prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to form a review committee that led ministers to clarify the law would not allow forcible entry or compulsory land acquisition.
- Industry groups say unclear RoW rules have slowed fibre and 5G rollout, so a reworked law could cut costs and delays for telecom projects but will face further parliamentary and stakeholder review before it affects network deployment and property rights.