The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication shared the draft rules with PTA on January 21, 2026. After several rounds of correspondence, the ministry sent an amended draft on July 7, while PTA submitted its comments on July 27. The matter is currently pending with the ministry.
The dispute centres on which institution has legal authority to regulate competition in the telecom sector. The Ministry of IT has maintained that PTA does not have jurisdiction over telecom competition matters, while PTA has defended its role under the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act, 1996.
The Islamabad High Court recently ruled that the CCP has exclusive authority over competition-related matters. PTA has challenged the ruling before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, arguing that it has a competition-related mandate under telecom law. The case is still pending before the Supreme Court.
Under Section 57 of the telecom law, the federal government is responsible for framing the rules, while Clause 5.1.2 of the Telecommunication Policy assigns their development to the Ministry of IT.
Work on the rules dates back to amendments made in 2006. An earlier draft, titled the Pakistan Telecommunication Fair Competition Rules, was circulated in 2009, but a final regulatory framework has yet to be notified.
