Assembly panel seeks report on delayed Karachi IT Park project

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication has raised concern over the prolonged delay in the Karachi IT Park project, saying the scheme has seen little headway despite being launched in 2021.

Chairing the meeting, Syed Amin ul Haque said the Ministry of Information Technology had not effectively pursued the Karachi IT Park initiative. Referring to official records, he told the committee that nearly five years had passed since the project’s introduction, but substantial progress had yet to materialise. He noted that while an advertisement had been issued to hire a local consultant, bidders had still not been meaningfully engaged and no definite completion schedule had been set.

The committee observed that the delay was unnecessarily driving up the project’s cost. It directed the ministry to place a detailed progress report before the next meeting, covering the project’s present status, the obstacles delaying it, the proposed way forward, and an expected timeline for completion. The panel also instructed the authorities to ensure transparency, merit and good governance at every stage of the project.

Islamabad project also reviewed

During the meeting, the committee also took up the Islamabad IT Park project and asked the ministry to submit a separate detailed progress report at its next sitting.

Concern over internet connectivity

The committee also discussed internet access in different parts of the country and voiced concern over weak connectivity in several constituencies. Members noted that despite surveys and assessments by the relevant authorities, internet coverage in many areas remained inadequate or nearly absent, creating problems for residents and restricting access to digital services.

In its briefing, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the committee that it had been coordinating with relevant stakeholders, including authorities in the power sector, to address the problem. PTA said a significant part of the connectivity issue stemmed from electricity outages and loadshedding, which disrupted the functioning of telecom infrastructure.

The authority further informed the committee that telecom operators were carrying out broad network and infrastructure upgrades following the 5G spectrum auction. According to PTA, average 4G data speeds, previously around 4 Mbps, are expected to improve to about 20 Mbps. It added that with the rollout and expansion of 5G infrastructure, internet speeds are projected to go up to 50 Mbps.

The committee also deferred the Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Bill, 2026 to its next meeting. The session was attended by Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, Sadiq Ali Memon, Ahmad Saleem Siddiqui, Asia Ishaque Siddiqui and Ammar Ahmad Khan Leghari.