Mobile phone users across Pakistan are still facing severe network disruptions. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blames expensive diesel and rampant power outages for the crisis. Consequently, the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, expressed intense outrage over the failing telecom infrastructure. Today, on April 30, 2026, government officials clashed over who holds the real blame.
PTA Shortcomings: Rampant Diesel Theft or Ghost Deliveries?
The PTA Chairman, Major General (Retd.) Hafeez ur Rehman admitted that thieves actively steal diesel and batteries from telecom towers. He blamed the widespread negligence of guards and staff across the 60,000 towers nationwide. Furthermore, he noted that Balochistan generates the highest volume of theft complaints.
However, Senator Atta ur Rehman rejected this official narrative. He explicitly argued that thieves do not steal the diesel… rather, the fuel never reaches the telecom towers in the first place. Meanwhile, Senator Afnan Ullah labeled the theft a deep societal issue and demanded official numbers. Surprisingly, PTA officials confessed they currently lack complete data regarding the stolen fuel.
Demanding Action Against Telecom Companies
The committee chairperson expressed extreme frustration with the telecom authorities. She demanded strict action against diesel thieves instead of letting officials hide behind standard English and Urdu briefings. Moreover, she highlighted a massive infrastructure failure. She said:
Mobile signals disappear where users need them most, and appear where they are useless.
Senator Sadia Abbasi emphasized that powering the towers is the sole responsibility of the mobile companies. She demanded immediate action against these providers for delivering terrible service while continuously earning profits. Additionally, Senator Palwasha Khan complained that authorities completely ignored her repeated requests to install towers in dead zones along the motorway.
When the PTA Chairman weakly suggested finding ways to stop the theft, Senator Palwasha Khan bluntly replied that theft in Pakistan will never stop until Judgment Day. Furthermore, PTA officials boldly claimed that District Lakki Marwat faces zero telecom issues. In immediate response, Maulana Atta ur Rehman invited the committee to physically visit the district and witness the grim reality themselves.
Mandatory Solar Panels & Future Investigations
To tackle the ongoing power crisis, the PTA Chairman announced that installing solar panels on mobile towers is now legally mandatory.
Meanwhile, the IT Secretary stepped in to defend the telecom sector. He explained that Pakistan holds the lowest average revenue per user in the entire world. He also pointed out that telecom companies must buy electricity at expensive commercial rates. Therefore, he argued that actual infrastructure improvements require new spectrum rollouts and heavy investments.
Currently, the PTA is negotiating power backup solutions directly with mobile companies. They also plan to enforce better services through strict conditions inside the upcoming 5G licenses. Finally, the government formed a dedicated sub-committee. This new sub-committee will physically visit different regions to investigate the poor service and verify the diesel theft claims firsthand.
