Islamabad, JULY25: An investigation into the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) purported inability to collect billions of rupees in unpaid debt from telecom firms has been launched by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The NAB’s Karachi division initiated the investigation and is looking for documentation of the telecom firms’ payments as well as specifics regarding the overdue money.
The PTA’s Director General of Licensing has received a call-up notice from NAB asking him to appear before the inquiry committee with all pertinent records and documentation. The notification requests information about the outstanding balances, payment histories, communications with telecom providers, and case-related internal investigations and reports.
The investigation was started in response to allegations filed with NAB over the PTA’s inability to collect Rs. 78 billion in unpaid debt from ten Wireless Local Loop (LL) and Long Distance International (LDI) businesses. The national exchequer has suffered large financial losses as a result of the purported PTA’s inability to collect the dues.
It was informed by people with knowledge of the situation that one telecom provider has given information to the NAB, which has requested documents from the business. According to PTA sources, a steering group established by the Ministry of IT is attempting to find a solution, and all LDI firms have committed to paying 100% of the outstanding fees.
The goal of the NAB investigation is to determine who is in charge of the unpaid debt and to start the process of collecting the sums owed. The investigation is a component of the NAB’s initiatives to improve accountability in government agencies and to combat corruption.
