Senate body orders probe into ‘overcharging’ by telco
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication has constituted a subcommittee to investigate allegations that a leading telecom firm had charged customers Rs5.83 billion in excess of tariffs approved by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
The subcommittee, headed by Senator Dr Afnanullah Khan, will examine the alleged overcharging by Jazz and the regulatory action taken by the PTA in the matter.
The decision was taken following a heated debate between PTA officials and representatives of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP). Committee Chairperson Senator Palwasha Khan intervened to pacify the situation when the PTA chairman threatened to resign if any allegation of corruption was levelled against him.
Meanwhile, a Jazz spokesperson said the matter concerned two government entities and that Jazz would present its point of view if called before any relevant forum.
The matter relates to the audit of the PTA for 2024. The audit objection stated that the telecom regulator had allowed a 15 per cent tariff increase for Jazz against a permissible limit of 3pc. The audit also suggested seeking the opinion of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on the tariff policy.
PTA Chairman retired Maj Gen Hafeezur Rehman questioned the proposal, saying that if tariffs were to be decided by the CCP, the PTA should not be held responsible for ensuring quality of service. “Let them take the whole responsibility,” he said. He maintained that the regulator had acted with complete transparency in allowing the 15pc tariff increase for Jazz and offered to have the matter subjected to a forensic audit.
The PTA chairman categorically stated that he would resign if even one rupee of overcharging by the telecom operator was established in violation of the authority’s approved tariffs.
He explained that the PTA examined mobile packages before their launch and monitored compliance with the approved tariff structure. However, audit officials had raised certain queries regarding the matter.
Senator Palwasha Khan subsequently decided to constitute the subcommittee. It will examine the relevant tariff approvals, packages and billing details to determine whether customers were charged amounts beyond the rates approved by the regulator.
Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2026
