ISLAMABAD – An audit report has blamed the Ministry of Information Technology and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for failing to recover over Rs89 billion in dues from Long Distance International (LDI) companies.
The audit revealed that despite being the telecom regulator for almost 20 years, the PTA has not effectively collected these outstanding payments. Several telecom operators continue to run their businesses without renewing licenses or paying their fees. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of regulatory supervision.
The report rejected the argument that court cases caused the delay in recovering dues. It labeled this excuse “unjustified” and pointed to poor management by both the PTA and the IT Ministry. The audit stressed that legal cases cannot justify the long delay in collecting the payments.
Details of Unpaid Fees
According to the audit findings, LDI companies owe various types of fees, including:
Rs9.82 billion in annual, spectrum, and late payment fees
Rs79.34 billion in contributions due to the IT Ministry, including the Universal Service Fund (USF)
Over Rs1 billion in license renewal fees from different operators
The report warned that the failure to collect these dues has damaged the credibility of the regulator and caused a significant loss to the national treasury.
Call for Immediate Action
Audit authorities have urged the PTA and the IT Ministry to cooperate and take urgent steps to recover the outstanding amounts. They emphasized that prompt and strict enforcement is needed to restore trust and ensure compliance in the telecom sector.
This audit report highlights serious issues in regulatory oversight and serves as a call to improve supervision and recover critical government revenue.
In other related news also read Audit Reveals Rs550M Irregularities In Punjab Home Department Funds
