NA panel issues summons: CEOs face scrutiny over poor telecom services

A National Assembly standing committee on IT and telecommunication has decided to summon the chief executives of Jazz, Zong and Ufone at its next meeting to explain ongoing weaknesses in mobile service, according to Business Recorder. The panel, chaired by Syed Amin-ul-Haque, also decided to call NEPRA officials over the regulator's refusal to treat telecom as an industry. Members argued that industry status could help address electricity shortages and load-shedding that hit telecom towers.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the panel that it carries out Quality of Service surveys and gives operators 30 days to fix faults. If deficiencies remain after a re-survey, it issues a show-cause notice and can impose fines of up to Rs350 million. The authority also said several operators have gone to court instead of paying, which has prolonged legal cases and slowed corrective action.

The committee has asked the authority for details of all show-cause notices and fines issued in the past six months, along with amounts recovered and still outstanding. It also deferred consideration of the Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Bill, 2026, after PPP members said it had not yet been discussed with their party's legislative committee.