The Telecom Bill That Slipped Through While Pakistan Looked Elsewhere

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While we were all mourning the petrol price hikes and drowning in the chaos of inflation, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja quietly tabled the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) (Amendment) Bill 2026. Most of us didn't even notice.

The bill amended the 1996 Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-Organization) Act. It redefined certain terms and replaced Section 27A on Right of Way with a new Section 27B. What sounds like routine legislative work is anything but ordinary.

This bill grants state-backed authorization to telecom companies to take over any private property or land and install 5G infrastructure including mobile towers and fiber-optic networks wherever they please. No consent required. No negotiation. Just entry and installation.

The astonishing reality is that this draconian bill which grossly violates the fundamental rights of Pakistanis was approved by majority vote in the National Assembly on June 11, 2026. Not a single member objected. Nobody raised their voice against these dangerous insertions. It appears nobody bothered to read it or if they did they chose to remain silent.

When the bill reached the Senate Standing Committee on IT, some members finally raised concerns. Journalists who examined the provisions uncovered a massive corruption scandal behind it. But the bill remains alive and awaits approval from the upper house.

Consider what this means for ordinary citizens. Any telecom company could appear at your doorstep or simply force entry onto your private property to install a high magnetic powered tower wherever they choose. If you resist or refuse to cooperate you could be fined up to Rs 50 million. Fifty million rupees for protecting your own home.

The original 1996 Act granted the right to "pass over land or property of other person to provide telecom license services." The 2026 Bill fundamentally changes this by giving licensees the right to "enter upon, use, or pass over land, premises, or property, whether public or private, for the installation, deployment, operation, or maintenance of telecommunication systems." Enter and use. Not simply pass over. This is a dramatic and dangerous expansion of state power.

Under the new process the telecom licensee requests approval from the owner or tenant. If there is no response within 15 days they send a mandatory reminder. And then what? The bill does not clearly protect citizens from forced entry after that point.

The justification being offered is the upcoming 5G spectrum launch. Instead of careful planning and appropriate infrastructure on remote or unowned areas the government has chosen a shortcut. Just take over any home or property of their liking and install whatever they need. Nobody seems concerned about the severe health hazards caused by heavy radiation from these towers. Nobody seems concerned about your rights.

I honestly do not know what we Pakistanis are doing anymore. Our freedoms and fundamental rights are being attacked silently every day and no one steps up to fight. How many wake-up calls do we need before we realize that no angels are coming from the heavens to protect people who willingly sleep on their rights?

There must be a limit to this insatiable greed for ownership without any State protection for its citizens. Until those in power listen and value the people we have no choice but to speak up relentlessly. Write. Discuss. Share. Make noise.

Because if we do not speak now we may not have anything left to speak for.

What are your thoughts on this bill? Share this post so more Pakistanis know what is slipping through the cracks.

Dr Sonya (Sonia) Syed.


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