ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee was informed on Friday that the prime minister has sought opinion of the auditor general of Pakistan (AGP) on whether the Special Communication Organisation (SCO) can be allowed to operate throughout the country on a commercial basis.

Brig Khalid Hassan from the SCO told the Senate Subcommittee on Delegated Legislation that a meeting was held with the prime minister on enhancing the organisation’s area of operations on Nov 24.

“The prime minister had certain reservations and directed the Ministry of Information Technology to seek the opinion of the AGP whether SCO can be allowed to operate countrywide,” he said.

The subcommittee met to consider the SCO’s demand for complete autonomy to operate across the country.

Headed by a serving military officer, 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.

Chairman of the subcommittee Senator Mohammad Daud Khan Achakzai directed the ministry of IT to seek the opinion of AGP in collaboration with the Ministry of Law within a week.

“The ministry has already wasted two weeks since the prime minister’s directions,” he said.

IT ministry’s Joint Secretary Khalid Gardezi informed the committee that his office had not received directions from the PM in writing.

“We cannot move forward with the case unless we receive directions in black and white,” he said.

The government and the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology have been opposing the idea to allow the SCO to operate throughout the country.

The government argues that giving the military-run organisation autonomy to operate commercially will be a violation of both international and local laws.

The ministry of IT also maintains that following commitments under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime, which encourages competitive environment for businesses to grow, a government subsidised organisation cannot be allowed to operate in a free market.

The meeting also learnt that on November 24 the PM had allowed the SCO to lay fibre optics cables from Rawalpindi to Gwadar as a strategic project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“The SCO has also been given the task to develop and operate telecom and internet services in Fata where private cellular mobile operators are hesitant to function,” said SCO regulatory affairs director retired Col Ghulam Hussain Anjum.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2017