ISLAMABAD: The management of Special Communications Organisation (SCO) on Tuesday demanded complete autonomy to operate as a commercial entity and expand its services across the country instead of just Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The fresh business idea, according to the SCO management, stems from the bureaucratic red tape while working under the Ministry of Information Technology (IT).

“The government procedures slow our work. It takes up to four years to get a project approved and then get funding for it, losing business to private telecommunication operators that are advancing rapidly,” SCO Director Regulatory Affairs (Headquarters) Col Ghulam Hussain Anjum told the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology.

Currently, Special Communications Organisation (SCO) is mandated to provide IT and telecom services in AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan only

The committee met to discuss the possibility of giving the SCO a free hand to compete as a commercial enterprise countrywide. The request has been forwarded by the SCO to the Senate and the National Assembly at almost every meeting.

However, an official from the ministry of IT, who attended the meeting, privately claimed that it was rare for a government entity to be led by a military official and seek autonomy to run as a commercial business.

“To provide national services, SCO will have to apply for a totally different licence and bid like other telecom operators such as Mobilink and Ufone etc,” said the official.

The SCO is a public sector organisation working under the ministry of IT. It was established in 1976 to develop, operate and maintain telecom services in Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Over the period of time, it has developed a massive IT and telecom infrastructure, including a 2,500 kilometres optical fibre cable network across the mandated areas.

The SCO stands as the largest telecom network and service provider equally focusing on urban and rural areas’ development in the AJK and GB regions.

While PML-N Senator Javed Abbasi was in favour of making the SCO a completely autonomous body, government officials emphasised that it was functioning fine under the ministry of IT.

“It makes no sense that SCO’s operations are held up because of bureaucratic wrangling. It was formed for the purpose of spreading services to the masses,” said Mr Abbasi.

However, Joint Secretary Ministry of IT Syed Khalid Raza Gardezi told the committee that the SCO was working without hindrances under the ministry.

“It is one of the most effective arms of the ministry. However, we will support the SCO in making its operations better. The ministry will sit down with the SCO to discuss and take matters forward.”

Committee Chairman Senator Mohammad Daud Khan Achakzai asked representatives from both the offices to come up with a solution to the matter.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2017