Says contracts cannot be revoked unilaterally by agreement, consideration completed
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar holds a joint press conference along with IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja in Islamabad on Sunday. SCREEN GRAB
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Sunday that a committee set up by the prime minister to address concerns over proposed changes to telecommunications laws had unanimously agreed to revise the draft law, making consent from property owners mandatory before any telecommunications infrastructure could be installed on private land.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted the committee following strong criticism from both government allies and opposition lawmakers, who demanded a thorough review of the bill and changes to its contentious provisions.
Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad with Information Technology and Telecommunications Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Tarar said the revised draft of the Pakistan Telecommunications (Reorganization) (Amendment) Bill explicitly required a property owner’s consent before right-of-way could be granted over private land.
Read: Audit Committee proposes a revision of disputed provisions of the Telecommunications Act, maintains property rights
He said the amended draft also introduced clearer definitions of key terms including rights-of-way, above-ground and underground infrastructure and installation of telecommunications equipment to remove ambiguity.
Explaining the changes, the law minister said the earlier draft had referred to “mutual consent”, but the revised version now made such consent mandatory.
“Initially, it only said that there should be negotiations. Now we have made it clear that if access is required through any private property – whether it is a house, shop, vacant lot or agricultural land – the owner’s permission must first be obtained. This is now a prerequisite,” he said.
Tarar said if the two parties were unable to agree on the terms and conditions, they could approach the appropriate authority. However, he emphasized that since the arrangement was based on mutual consent and the free will of both parties, the usual enforcement mechanisms would not apply at that time.
He added that once an agreement was made and acceptance received, neither party could unilaterally withdraw from the contract.
“If the terms and conditions are clarified, payment made and all matters agreed, one party cannot later decide not to proceed with the agreement. In such cases, the proper authority will take care of the matter,” he said.
The minister said that if an operator failed to make agreed payments, the authority would issue the necessary directions. Likewise, if a property owner, after voluntarily entering into an agreement and receiving payment, tried to prevent or bring the arrangement to an end during the contract period, the matter would also be dealt with according to the law.
“If the owner has voluntarily agreed, is receiving rent and has already been compensated, they cannot disrupt the arrangement during the contract period. Agreements are there to be honoured, just as we are obliged to fulfill contracts in our daily lives,” he said.
Also read: PM forms body to review telecom bill
Tarar said the committee had unanimously resolved the issue and submitted its report to the Prime Minister.
“The amended draft will now be sent to the Senate Standing Committee, which makes it clear that no one can be forced to give right-of-way over private property without the owner’s consent,” he said.
However, he clarified that separate provisions would apply to state-owned land, other public property and housing schemes.
The law minister noted that the right-of-way legislation had been in existence for decades and said such provisions were necessary to facilitate the delivery of essential services.
“Without this law, it would not be possible to provide electricity, gas, internet and many other essential utilities to the public,” he said.
Tarar said the earlier version of the bill had been passed by the National Assembly with six amendments, but concerns over its wording were subsequently raised in the Senate Standing Committee.
Speaking on the occasion, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the original law passed in 2006 required changes to meet the changing connectivity needs of the country.
She said Pakistan’s data consumption had increased by about 25 percent over the past two years, underscoring the need to expand spectrum capacity and strengthen telecommunication infrastructure.
Shaza said spectrum availability had increased from 274 megahertz (MHz) to around 750MHz through the country’s largest ever spectrum auction. She added that the rollout of 5G services would require additional investment in fiber optic networks, telecom towers and related infrastructure.
The minister noted that Pakistan currently had fewer than three million fiber-to-home connections despite a population of about 240 million, adding that the government aimed to increase the number to 10 million homes over the next three years.
Responding to public concerns over the proposed right-of-way provisions, Shaza said expanding Internet access remained a key priority for the Ministry of Information Technology, while efforts to improve connectivity would not come at the expense of citizens’ fundamental rights.
Read more: Reform of right-of-way is essential for the digital economy
The bill, which seeks amendments to a 1996 law and was tabled by the IT minister, was approved by the National Assembly on June 11 with a majority vote. It was later postponed by the Senate’s Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunications, where it was referred on 15 June.
Questions about the motives behind the bill had grown stronger, particularly because of the government’s push to get it approved by both houses of parliament.
Following reservations raised by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) over the bill, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally of the government, also withheld its support and Senator Sherry Rehman categorically stated that her party would not allow any legislation related to the information technology sector, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority or right of way to be scrutinized by the Senator. the relevant standing committee.
The prime minister later set up a committee to review the bill and tasked it with addressing concerns raised about some of its provisions. The Committee was mandated to examine the framework for right of way under Sections 2(qb), 2(ma), 27A and 27B of the Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganization (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications had also clarified that the proposed law on traffic rights 2026 would not allow forcible acquisition of private land or unauthorized entry into citizens’ private properties. According to the ministry, property owners will retain full rights to object, negotiate terms and demand appropriate compensation before work is carried out on their land.
