Shaza Fatima Confirms 60 Percent Fiberization Goal as Senate Committee Clears Telecom Bill

Pakistan’s push to expand its fiber optic infrastructure has cleared another legislative milestone. The Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunications, meeting under the chairpersonship of Senator Palwasha Khan, took up the Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganisation Amendment Bill 2026, a piece of legislation that has now been approved by the National Assembly’s standing committee and was brought before the Senate committee for the same purpose.

The session was notable not just for the bill’s progression through the parliamentary process but also for the specific commitments Federal Minister for IT Shaza Fatima placed on record before the committee.

Bill Arrives From Senate, Approval on the Agenda

Chairperson Palwasha Khan opened the session by clarifying the bill’s procedural position: it had arrived from the Senate the previous day, and the committee’s task was to approve it in the current session. The National Assembly’s standing committee had already cleared the bill, making the Senate IT committee the final legislative checkpoint before the bill moves forward.

Federal Minister Shaza Fatima addressed the committee with a briefing on the amendments contained in the bill, framing them as targeted changes to the existing Telecommunication Reorganisation Act designed to remove structural barriers that have slowed Pakistan’s fiberization efforts.

Right-of-Way Charges: A Longstanding Barrier Now Being Removed

Shaza Fatima confirmed to the committee that all provinces have now abolished right-of-way charges, a development that removes what has been the single most cited administrative obstacle to fiberization. The legislation being considered by the committee is designed to formalise and entrench this abolition in law, ensuring that the removal of these charges is not subject to reversal by future provincial administrations or local governments.

The minister was direct on the government’s position regarding disputes: no controversy of any kind will be allowed to obstruct fiberization under the cover of unresolved right-of-way disagreements. The legislative framework is being specifically designed to prevent that outcome.

Shaza Fatima also confirmed that the government is targeting 60 percent fiberization coverage in the coming years, a significant ambition for a country where fiber penetration currently remains low relative to mobile broadband adoption.

Senator Afnan Ullah: The Bill Goes Beyond Fiber

The session’s substantive debate was opened by Senator Afnan Ullah, who raised a concern that went to the heart of the bill’s scope. While acknowledging that the fiber provisions were acceptable, he pointed out that the bill also covers equipment, apparatus, and telecom towers, a significantly broader reach than what the fiberization framing implies.

The distinction matters. Right-of-way abolition for fiber cables laying underground is a relatively contained intervention; it removes a cost, clears a bureaucratic barrier, and the physical footprint is limited. Telecom towers and equipment, however, occupy above-ground space, involve structural installations on land, and raise more complex questions about property rights, visual impact, and community consent.

Senator Afnan Ullah’s concern was not that the bill should not pass; he indicated it would be approved, but that the broader scope of the tower and equipment provisions would generate problems down the line that the current drafting does not fully resolve.

IT Secretary: Private Land Will Not Be Touched Without Consent

The IT Secretary moved to address the private land concern directly. He told the committee that no private land or private party would be pressured or disturbed for fiberization purposes without their consent. If a dispute arises between any two parties, the matter will be referred to the relevant government authority for resolution, establishing a formal dispute resolution pathway rather than leaving conflicts to be resolved bilaterally between operators and landowners.

Sadia Abbasi Loses Patience With the Legal Member

The session’s sharpest moment came from Senator Sadia Abbasi, who directed her frustration at the IT Ministry’s legal member present in the session. Senator Abbasi said the legal member was conducting himself like a Supreme Court judge, a pointed remark suggesting the official was being dismissive, overly legalistic, or unhelpful in his engagement with the committee’s questions.

Afnan Ullah’s Warning: Approval Now, Problems Later

Despite his reservations, Senator Afnan Ullah indicated the bill would be approved, but with a caveat. He warned that approving the Telecommunication Reorganisation Amendment Bill would lead to problems emerging in the future, specifically in relation to the tower and equipment provisions he had flagged.

This is a not uncommon dynamic in Pakistani legislative proceedings: committees approve bills under time pressure or ministerial insistence while placing reservations on record, a way of documenting concerns without blocking legislation that has broader political momentum behind it.

Shaza Fatima: Enough Consultation, Time to Pass

Federal Minister Shaza Fatima’s response to the concerns raised was firm. The bill has undergone extensive consultation, she told the committee, and the time for debate has passed. It should now be approved. Her position reflected the ministry’s view that the legislative process has already accommodated input from stakeholders, provinces, and parliamentary bodies and that further delay serves no constructive purpose.

Why This Bill Matters

The Telecommunication Reorganisation Amendment Bill 2026 addresses one of the most concrete structural barriers to fiber expansion in Pakistan. Right-of-way charges have functioned as an invisible tax on every meter of fiber deployed, and their abolition, now confirmed across all provinces, removes the single most cited administrative obstacle to fiberization.

The concerns raised by Senator Afnan Ullah about towers and equipment are legitimate and worth watching as implementation proceeds. The IT Secretary’s assurance about private land consent provides a degree of protection, but the dispute resolution mechanism he described will only be as effective as the government authority responsible for handling those disputes.