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Pakistan’s long-awaited 5G rollout faces fresh hurdles as the Sun TV dispute takes center stage in ongoing legal battles over spectrum allocation.
During a Senate committee meeting, IT Ministry officials confirmed that spectrum-related cases are pending in court due to Sun TV. When asked about the ownership of Sun TV, the Committee Chairperson was surprised to learn that neither the IT Ministry nor the PTA officials could provide a name. Even the legal member of the ministry failed to respond, drawing a stern rebuke from the chairperson.
“You should leave this committee meeting and return only after finding out who owns Sun TV,” the chairperson remarked.
At this point, journalist Kalbe Ali revealed the identity, stating, “The owner of Sun TV is Aqeel Karim Dhedhi.” Senator Afnanullah supported the statement, saying that the media had long known this, but government officials avoided naming Dhedhi out of fear. Senator Humayun Mohmand further suggested summoning Aqeel Karim Dhedhi to the next committee meeting.
The IT Ministry’s Legal Member acknowledged that despite repeated inquiries from the Frequency Allocation Board, officials have been reluctant to name Sun TV’s owner due to his influence. He admitted:
- “The owners of Sun TV are powerful individuals, which is why no one dares to mention their names.”
- “There is no resolution to these cases in the Supreme Court.”
- “An out-of-court settlement should be pursued.”
- “These cases are ongoing in courts, but no stay orders exist.”
The unresolved Sun TV case has now become a critical roadblock for spectrum release, limiting Pakistan’s ability to expand telecom capacity. Analysts warn that unless this dispute is settled, the country’s 5G launch will remain on hold, keeping Pakistan behind regional peers in digital infrastructure.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman informed the Senate committee that auctioning the 5G spectrum depends on freeing up available frequencies. However, the crucial 2600 MHz band remains tied up in litigation.
The IT Secretary explained that whenever one High Court rules in the government’s favor, the opposing party quickly takes the matter to another court, prolonging the process. Although the federal government has devised a strategy to speed up proceedings and the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) has already petitioned for early hearings, senators expressed frustration that the issue has remained unresolved for years.
