BeNewz
Related Articles
BeNewz Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s leading telecom operator, Jazz, has come under scrutiny after a recent audit report accused the company of overcharging its subscribers by an alarming Rs 6.58 billion. The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication has taken notice of the matter and summoned the Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for a detailed briefing.
The issue surfaced when the committee’s agenda highlighted findings from a statutory audit, which revealed that Jazz, the country’s largest mobile network operator, had collected billions of rupees from subscribers beyond the approved tariffs. According to the report, the operator allegedly charged a higher than the 15 percent quarterly tariff increase it had been authorized to apply.
Senate committee steps in
Chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom has scheduled its next meeting on August 25 at Parliament House. The committee has asked the PTA chairman to explain what measures the regulator has taken to protect consumer rights and prevent telecom operators from exploiting customers through unlawful billing practices.
“The committee is deeply concerned about consumer exploitation in the telecom sector. We expect a comprehensive explanation from the regulator regarding Jazz’s overbilling practices and details of action taken to safeguard public interest,” the agenda noted.
The committee has also directed the PTA to provide a full account of its regulatory oversight, including why such discrepancies went unnoticed and what accountability mechanisms are in place to penalize violations.
Audit findings raise red flags
The audit report, which sparked the Senate panel’s intervention, indicates that Jazz’s billing practices did not align with the tariffs approved by PTA. Instead of sticking to the 15 percent increase allowed every quarter, the company is alleged to have levied charges well beyond the permissible limit.
The overbilling, estimated at Rs 6.58 billion, reportedly took place over the past fiscal year. Industry insiders suggest that subscribers may have been billed under opaque packages, complex tariff structures, or service charges that lacked transparency.
If proven, the allegations could mark one of the largest cases of overcharging in Pakistan’s telecom sector, which serves more than 195 million cellular subscribers nationwide.
PTA under the spotlight
For its part, the PTA, the country’s telecom regulator, has come under intense scrutiny. The committee’s demand for a briefing underscores growing concerns that the authority has been ineffective in monitoring telecom operators’ billing practices.
Telecom users in Pakistan have frequently complained of hidden charges, unexplained deductions, and complex package systems that make it difficult to track actual usage.
