The Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas, Senator Usman Khan Kakar in a meeting claimed that mobile operators charge people for installing towers in some areas of Balochistan.
According to a local media report, the committee met for a briefing on Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Universal Service Fund (USF) performance in the less developed areas and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) over the past five years.
“I can refer to dozens of cases in which this malpractice by mobile operators has been noticed,” Senator Usman was quoted in the local media report.
Following that, Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Agha Shahzaib Durrani and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Fida Mohammad supported the claim.
Moreover, the committee’s members were particularly critical of the PTA for its lack of coverage in Balochistan and criticised the authority for “not ensuring the quality of cellular services in a few cities that did have network coverage”.
