Jurisdiction Dispute Keeps Pakistan’s Telecom Competition Rules Pending for a Decade

A long-running jurisdictional dispute between the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) and the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has delayed the finalisation of Telecom Competition Rules for nearly a decade.

Official documents show that the main hurdle is a disagreement over which institution has the legal authority to frame competition rules for Pakistan’s telecom sector.

According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Section 57 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act empowers the federal government to frame rules. The regulator also pointed to Clause 5.1.2 of the Telecom Policy 2015, which assigns the Ministry of IT the responsibility of preparing the Telecom Competition Rules.

Jurisdiction Dispute Keeps Pakistan’s Telecom Competition Rules Pending for a Decade

The PTA said it submitted the initial draft rules to the ministry in 2016 after the government notified the Telecom Policy 2015.

The Ministry of IT held public consultations on the draft in 2017 and 2018. It later sent the rules to the Ministry of Law and Justice for legal vetting. During this period, the PTA repeatedly reminded the ministry to complete the process.

The regulator made another attempt to move the process forward in 2022 by submitting an updated draft to the ministry.

However, the CCP has maintained that the Ministry of IT does not have the legal mandate to frame competition rules. According to the PTA, the CCP argues that competition regulation falls under its own jurisdiction. This disagreement between the two institutions has effectively stalled the rules.

The issue also reached the courts. In a detailed judgment issued on November 1, 2025, the Islamabad High Court upheld the CCP’s jurisdiction over competition and deceptive marketing matters in the telecom sector.

The court dismissed petitions filed by major telecom operators, including Jazz, Telenor, Zong, Ufone and PTCL, which had challenged the CCP’s authority.

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The court held that the CCP has overarching jurisdiction across all sectors of the economy, including telecommunications. It also stated that the Competition Act, 2010 and the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996 operate in separate but complementary areas.

Under the court’s interpretation, the PTA remains responsible for technical and operational regulation of the telecom sector. The CCP, however, has the statutory authority to address anti-competitive practices, abuse of dominance, collusive arrangements and deceptive marketing.

The judgment further clarified that the CCP’s jurisdiction can extend to sectors that already have their own specialised regulators.

Despite the court ruling, efforts to finalise the Telecom Competition Rules are still continuing. In January 2026, the Ministry of IT circulated a revised draft of the rules. The PTA submitted its comments on the draft in March.

The two sides then held several meetings to discuss the matter. The ministry shared another revised draft with the PTA on July 7, 2026. The regulator submitted its latest feedback on July 27.

The rules, however, have still not been finalised despite years of consultations, legal reviews and multiple revisions.

The prolonged delay has left Pakistan’s telecom sector without the dedicated competition framework envisaged under the Telecom Policy 2015. Industry observers believe this has contributed to regulatory uncertainty at a time when the telecom market is undergoing major changes.

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The issue has become more important as Pakistan moves toward next-generation technologies and prepares for wider 5G deployment. A clear competition framework could help define the roles of regulators and provide greater certainty for telecom operators and potential investors.

The delay also comes as the government seeks to improve the regulatory environment and attract investment in the country’s digital economy. However, until the jurisdictional dispute between the Ministry of IT and the CCP is fully resolved, the long-awaited Telecom Competition Rules may remain pending.