PPP welcomes withdrawal of controversial IT bill, calls it a victory for the people

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has welcomed the federal government’s decision to withdraw the controversial Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, from the Senate.

In a press conference on Saturday, PPP leader Senator Palwasha Khan described the move as a victory for the people and their fundamental and constitutional rights. “Better late than never. The government has finally admitted its mistake and decided to withdraw the controversial bill,” she said.

Senator Khan thanked President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for their support on the issue, stating they “did not compromise for a moment when it came to the rights of the people.”

She reiterated the PPP's position that no law could be acceptable if it created insecurity for citizens regarding their property, adding that the party would continue to raise its voice to protect people's rights.

Following the government's decision to withdraw the controversial telecommunication bill, PPP leader Palwasha Khan held an emergency press conference to address the matter.

The withdrawn legislation had sought to empower the government to impose a fine of up to Rs 50 million on any owner, lessee, tenant, or entity that obstructed or delayed a telecommunication system licensee's right to install infrastructure.

The bill's stated objectives also included bringing the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) in conformity with the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) Act, 2023, to improve its governance and transparency. The government had initially defended the bill against public criticism before announcing a review and its eventual withdrawal.

The government has stated it will introduce a new draft of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, after withdrawing the controversial legislation from the Senate on Friday.

The original bill, which was approved by the National Assembly on June 11, faced objections in the upper house. It sought to give telecom licensees sweeping powers to install infrastructure on public and private land, with clauses that would have allowed for 'deemed approval' if authorities did not respond to requests within a set timeframe.

In a statement, the Ministry of Information Technology said the decision to introduce a fresh bill was made to avoid delays and expedite the legislative process. The ministry added that the new draft would retain the 'essence of the proposed legislation', which aims to enable the swift deployment of infrastructure for modern technologies such as 5G.