Senate Committee chaired by Palwasha Khan reviews critical issues on LDI license renewal, accountability & board appointments

ISLAMABAD, Sep 09 (SABAH): The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications, chaired by Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan, convened on Monday at Parliament Lodges.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the PTA briefed the Committee members on the issues related to the renewal of LDI/FLL licenses. He reported that the license renewal issue primarily affects four companies, including Wateen, which has an extensive fiber optic infrastructure spanning 24 cities, primarily in Balochistan and interior Sindh. Wateen is also connected to 44 banks and NADRA. Although a committee was formed to address the license renewal issue, it was unable to resolve the matter. Wateen’s license expired in July 2024, but the company secured a court-issued stay order. The Committee Chairperson emphasized that failure to renew these licenses could result in significant losses.

Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan also raised concerns about the potential impact on the network if these companies’ licenses were not renewed. PTA officials responded, explaining that the suspension of the companies’ operations would greatly affect the network, and it would take significant time to restore services. They also mentioned that PTCL cannot compensate for the gap left by these companies if their operations are halted.

Regarding LDI’s required payments, the Secretary MoITT proposed that the vacation of stay orders on the said matter is crucial to have the matter resolved. Also, the policy directive from the Federal Government is mandatory for such matters to not arise again in the future.

The Chairperson of the Committee also raised concerns about the lack of accountability of the former Secretary, specifically inquiring about a letter issued by the Secretary in May 2024, wherein a policy directive was issued by the Ministry, without seeking due approval from the Cabinet. The Chairperson requested a list of individuals responsible for overseeing the matter and questioned whether the actions taken were within lawful authority.

Additionally, the Secretary of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) provided a briefing on the composition of the PTCL Board, emphasizing that, in line with the Federal Government’s directives, the remuneration for government officials appointed to the boards of companies are capped at PKR 1 million per annum for all such appointments.

Furthermore, the Committee discussed the qualifications and criteria for consultants and advisors, noting that all such positions were filled on a contract basis. The Special Secretary of the Establishment Division also presented details regarding the hiring of the Secretary of MoITT on a contract basis from the private sector. She informed the Committee about the selection process, application review, and scrutiny of candidates. The Special Secretary reported that a large pool of qualified candidates had applied, and 77 applications were scrutinized by the Scrutiny Committee, resulting in 15 candidates being shortlisted. Senator Palwasha suggested that the list of 77 shortlisted applicants against each criteria be presented at the next meeting.

In attendance were Senator Anusha Rahman Ahmed Khan, Senator Mohammad Humayun Mohmand, Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, Senator Syed Kazim Ali Shah, Senator Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto, Senator Afnan Ullah Khan, the Secretary of Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication MoITT, the Chairman of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Additional Secretary of Ministry of Interior, the Special Secretary, Establishment Division and the senior officials from the concerned department.