Metro53 - ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima has rejected concerns surrounding the proposed Telecom Bill, saying the legislation does not permit the government or telecom operators to forcibly occupy private land or property.
Addressing a joint press conference alongside Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ms Fatima said the proposed law was aimed at facilitating the expansion of high-speed internet infrastructure across the country while safeguarding the rights of property owners.
She said the bill had remained before the National Assembly for six months before being passed with the support of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). She added that the Senate's decision to refer the legislation to a committee for further review reflected the democratic legislative process.
Responding to criticism of the bill, the IT minister said allegations made against her and the IT secretary regarding alleged financial interests were "baseless" and had created unnecessary controversy in the media.
"We reserve the legal right to take action against those making unfounded allegations," she said, adding that she had requested Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order an inquiry into the matter so that the facts could be established transparently.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the amended Telecom Bill had been approved with six revisions to address concerns raised during parliamentary deliberations.
He clarified that telecom companies would be required to obtain the consent of property owners before laying fibre-optic infrastructure on private land.
Mr Tarar further said the parliamentary committee had found no evidence suggesting that the legislation was designed to favour any particular company, adding that the committee had also directed that all identified legal and technical shortcomings in the bill be addressed before its implementation.
