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Pakistan’s long-awaited 5G rollout faces another major setback as the unresolved Sun TV dispute continues to block progress.
During a Senate committee briefing, officials from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed that a consultant, hired six months ago, advised that all legal cases related to Sun TV’s spectrum must be settled before auctioning 5G frequencies.
Earlier, in a Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom meeting held a few days ago, officials revealed that Pakistan’s long-delayed 5G rollout continues to face hurdles due to litigation involving the 2600 MHz spectrum band. The dispute, centered on Sun TV, has tied up valuable frequencies and slowed efforts to expand the country’s telecom capacity.
The committee was taken aback when officials from the IT Ministry and PTA admitted they could not confirm the ownership of Sun TV, despite its central role in the ongoing spectrum-related court cases. The chairperson expressed frustration, directing officials to return only after clarifying the matter.
It was during this exchange that journalist Kalbe Ali identified Aqeel Karim Dhedhi as the owner of Sun TV. Senator Afnanullah confirmed the claim, noting that the media had reported it for years but officials refrained from naming Dhedhi out of fear.
Senator Humayun Mohmand suggested summoning Dhedhi to the next committee meeting, while the IT Ministry’s legal representative conceded that Sun TV’s influential owners discouraged officials from disclosing their names. He further admitted that despite repeated inquiries from the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB), the ownership issue has never been formally resolved.
The legal representative also acknowledged that while no stay orders exist in the pending cases, the matter remains unresolved in court. He even proposed pursuing an out-of-court settlement to break the deadlock and move forward with Pakistan’s 5G spectrum auction.
