Three Long Distance International operators have deposited PKR 2.2 billion with regulatory authorities while their legal cases remain pending in courts awaiting the establishment of a dedicated Telecom Tribunal for adjudication.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Major General (Retd) Hafeez-ur-Rahman informed about this in the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications on April 30, 2026. The chairman stated that LDI operators’ cases can only be decided after the Telecom Tribunal becomes operational, as the specialized body is required to handle telecommunications sector disputes under Pakistani regulatory framework.
The LDI operators’ legal matters highlight broader regulatory challenges facing Pakistan’s telecommunications sector including unresolved Long Distance International license disputes that have remained in courts for extended periods without final resolution.
The PKR 2.2 billion deposit represents security guarantees or financial commitments made by three LDI operators as their licensing and operational disputes proceed through Pakistan’s judicial system, however the absence of a functioning Telecom Tribunal creates jurisdictional and procedural delays preventing timely adjudication of sector-specific cases requiring technical telecommunications expertise.
During the Senate committee briefing, Chairman PTA revealed that the authority has prepared and submitted Telecom Competition Rules to the Ministry of Information Technology four times over an extended period, with seven separate reminders sent to the ministry regarding finalization of the regulatory framework.
Major General Hafeez-ur-Rahman stated that the Ministry of IT can better explain when the rules will be finalized, deflecting responsibility for the delay to the government ministry overseeing telecommunications policy rather than the regulatory authority implementing technical operations.
Senator Shahadat Awan expressed frustration during the committee session questioning what the Ministry of Law is doing regarding Telecom Competition Rules that after eight years the regulatory framework has not been finalized despite multiple submissions and reminders.
The senator’s criticism highlights institutional coordination failures between Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Ministry of Information Technology and Ministry of Law that have prevented implementation of competition rules governing the telecommunications sector for nearly a decade despite industry growth and evolving market dynamics requiring updated regulatory oversight.
Ministry of Law officials responded to the committee stating that if the rules come to their ministry they will check them, suggesting the regulatory framework may not have reached the legal review stage despite PTA’s claims of multiple submissions to the IT ministry.
Senator Shahadat Awan countered that the Ministry of Law has no knowledge of these rules at all, exposing disconnects between government ministries regarding the status and location of critical telecommunications regulatory documents that have allegedly been circulating through bureaucratic channels for eight years without final approval.
The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications gave a one-month deadline to finalize the Telecom Competition Rules, attempting to accelerate the regulatory framework’s completion through parliamentary oversight pressure.
The deadline reflects senators’ concerns that prolonged delays in establishing competition rules and the Telecom Tribunal create regulatory uncertainty hampering telecommunications sector development, investment planning and dispute resolution while LDI operators and other industry participants operate without clear competitive framework governing market conduct.
The Telecom Competition Rules are designed to establish fair competition principles, prevent anti-competitive practices, protect consumer interests and create level playing field conditions among telecommunications service providers operating in Pakistan’s increasingly complex and technology-driven communications market.
The absence of finalized competition rules for eight years despite multiple drafting and submission cycles suggests institutional capacity constraints, bureaucratic inertia or policy disagreements preventing regulatory framework modernization even as Pakistan’s telecommunications sector undergoes rapid transformation through mobile broadband expansion, fiber optic deployment and emerging satellite internet applications.
