Revised telecom bill makes landowner consent mandatory for right-of-way, ministers say

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Sunday that a committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had unanimously agreed to revise proposed amendments to telecommunication laws, making the consent of property owners mandatory before telecom infrastructure can be installed on private land.

Addressing a joint press conference with Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Tarar said the revised draft of The Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) (Amendment) Bill would clearly state that no right-of-way could be granted over private land without the owner’s consent.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted the committee after criticism from government allies and opposition lawmakers, who called for a review of the bill and changes to its disputed provisions.

Tarar and Khawaja rejected concerns that the proposed law would allow occupation of private property. They said the legislation was aimed at updating Pakistan’s telecom legal framework to support 5G and other advanced technologies, not at overriding citizens’ property rights.

Khawaja said the existing Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act, 1996, was drafted during the 2G era and no longer met the requirements of modern telecommunications infrastructure.

She said the bill was introduced in the National Assembly in January and reviewed in detail by the relevant standing committee before being passed in June. She added that the draft included amendments proposed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and was later referred to the Senate standing committee, where further deliberations were under way.

The minister said Pakistan had recorded nearly 25% growth in data consumption over the past two years due to population growth and increasing digital adoption. She said spectrum availability had risen from 274MHz to around 750MHz through the country’s largest-ever spectrum auction.

Khawaja said the proposed amendments were intended to facilitate investment in digital infrastructure, expand high-speed internet access and address regulatory hurdles, particularly those linked to right-of-way approvals.

She said the expansion of telecom services required fibre-optic networks, towers and other infrastructure across the country. She added that when the present government assumed office, only three million households had fibre-based internet connections, while the number had now increased to more than five million due to policy and technical measures.

The minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had set a target of extending wired broadband connectivity to at least 10 million households over the next three years.

Khawaja said provincial governments had also contributed to structural reforms in the telecom sector. She maintained that the bill did not contain any provision allowing forced occupation of private land.

Responding to allegations regarding her and the IT secretary’s financial integrity, Khawaja said she had requested the prime minister to order a formal inquiry. She said she would accept responsibility if wrongdoing was established, but legal action would be taken if the allegations were found to be baseless.

Tarar said the parliamentary committee had found no evidence that the bill was designed to benefit any individual. He said the National Assembly had passed the legislation with six amendments and reiterated that consent of property owners would be required before fibre-optic cables could be laid through private land.

He said no citizen could be forced to allow telecom infrastructure on privately owned property under the proposed law.