The Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom has launched a scathing attack on Jazz, Pakistan’s largest telecom operator, over allegations of overcharging and persistent quality-of-service failures.
Read More: Who’s the Real Culprit — Jazz’s Tariffs, AGP’s Audit, or PTA’s Silence? Rs6.58 Billion Question
The agenda of the meeting, chaired by Senator Wusha Khan, included a review of the Auditor General of Pakistan’s report, which alleged that Jazz extracted more than Rs6 billion from consumers through tariff hikes beyond regulatory approvals.
Senators expressed dissatisfaction with Jazz’s network performance, particularly after Chairman PTA admitted: “Yes, I agree with the Senators — Jazz has consistent quality issues.”
Senator Nadeem Bhutto went further, saying: “I have been using Jazz since 2010, but calls rarely connect. My father often scolds me because the service is so poor. On highways, Jazz only works on 2G.”
The committee pressed PTA on why tariffs continue to rise without matching improvements in service. “Tariffs are increased, but does Jazz also provide quality service?” asked the chairman of the committee.
The PTA chairman acknowledged the gap: “We regulate tariffs and consumer protection, but quality issues remain due to spectrum shortages. Jazz increased tariffs by 19% in 2024, but all approvals went through PTA.”
While PTA maintained that the AGP audit findings were based on “misunderstandings,” senators were unconvinced. The Senate left open the question: if Jazz did not loot Rs6.58 billion, where did the money go?
