The Government of Pakistan holds 62.18 percent shares in Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the Senate was informed on Tuesday.
Responding to a question raised by Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood, Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications, Shaza Fatima Khawaja disclosed in writing that despite being the majority shareholder, the government did not receive any dividend from PTCL during the last five years (2020–2024).
The minister stated that no dividend was recommended by PTCL’s Board of Directors during the said period, resulting in zero profit inflow to the national exchequer against its majority stake.
However, she expressed optimism about the company’s future prospects, particularly in light of the merger between PTCL and Telenor Pakistan. According to the minister, the management believes that the merger will significantly enhance PTCL’s network capacity and financial strength, potentially improving its overall performance.
The development comes amid growing scrutiny over returns from state-owned enterprises, especially where the government maintains majority ownership but receives limited or no financial returns. PTCL reported losses amounting to Rs. 10.462 billion, bringing accumulative losses to Rs. 50.150 billion.
It was revealed in the Federal State-Owned Enterprises annual aggregate report on SOEs fiscal year 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025), released by the Central Monitoring Unit (CMU) of the Finance Division, which further noted that PTCL is used only for reporting, not as an SOE, as it is privatized.