Jazz Chief Executive Officer and Telecom Operators Association Chairman Aamir Ibrahim has publicly defended the Right of Way provisions in the Telecom Amendment Bill 2026, arguing that much of the current public debate has overlooked the core infrastructure problem the legislation is intended to address, as the bill continues to face strong objections in the Senate.
In comments shared on social media, Ibrahim argued that Pakistan’s connectivity challenges are, at their core, infrastructure challenges, stating that fibre cannot be laid, towers cannot be deployed, and networks cannot be expanded without resolving the Right of Way bottlenecks that have frustrated telecom operators and slowed digital progress for years. He characterised these as concrete operational barriers rather than abstract regulatory concerns, arguing they translate directly into slower network deployment, weaker coverage, and underserved communities across the country.
Ibrahim pushed back specifically against the framing that has dominated recent public criticism of the bill, which has centred on concerns that the proposed amendments would allow telecom companies to access private property and install infrastructure without meaningful homeowner consent, backed by fines of up to Rs. 50 million for non-compliance under the bill’s Section 27B clause. He said that interpretation does not reflect the intent of the proposal, stating that the objective is to address barriers that have slowed infrastructure rollout and limited connectivity expansion rather than to target individual citizens or homeowners directly. He acknowledged that the language of the bill can and should be refined through the parliamentary process, stating that legitimate concerns should be debated, improvements considered, and the final law strengthened through that process rather than the bill being abandoned outright.
Ibrahim credited the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication for bringing the issue forward and initiating what he described as an important conversation around one of the most persistent barriers to Pakistan’s digital progress. He said the focus should now shift toward improving the bill where necessary while keeping sight of the broader objective of expanding connectivity for all Pakistanis, which he argued requires sustained investment, infrastructure deployment, and regulatory frameworks that support both. His comments come as the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom continues to review the bill following objections from multiple senators, including Afnan Ullah and Sadia Abbasi, over the property rights implications of the legislation’s current wording, with the committee having already deferred approval pending further clause-by-clause revision.
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