Over 9,200 Telecom theft incidents cripple Pakistan’s internet infrastructure, senate committee warns

Islamabad: The Sub Committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications has sounded the alarm over rampant diesel theft and structural sabotage across Pakistan’s telecommunications infrastructure, revealing that more than 9,200 incidents occurred nationwide in just eleven months. Chaired by Senator Sadia Abbasi, the high level session highlighted that these attacks affected roughly 16% of the country’s cellular network, threatening service continuity and national connectivity.The session, attended by Senators Kamran Murtaza and Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan alongside senior ministry officials, revealed that Sindh suffered the highest number of incidents with 3,938 across 31 districts, followed by Punjab with 2,827 incidents in 38 districts. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 1,668 cases across 25 districts, and Balochistan logged 716 incidents in 26 districts. Committee members described the figures as a “structural crisis” that exposes the country’s telecommunications infrastructure to significant risk.The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) briefed the Committee on how persistent power load-shedding compounds the problem by rapidly depleting backup batteries and conventional generators, further undermining service reliability. To address these vulnerabilities, PTA is coordinating with the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and the Power Division to secure priority power feeders and deploy smart transformers directly at critical telecom nodes.The Universal Service Fund (USF) reported ongoing infrastructure expansion in Balochistan, noting that while 80% of target areas have been identified through competitive bidding, systemic diesel theft and security lapses continue to delay operational deployment. The Committee instructed relevant departments to map high-theft hotspots and enforce strict legal actions at the district level to protect these installations.The Committee also evaluated network modernization efforts, including the recent spectrum auctions adding 480 MHz of bandwidth and the issuance of 5G commercial licenses in March 2026. Plans include increasing average 4G speeds from 4 Mbps to 20 Mbps, rolling out 1,000 new sites annually, and introducing Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) services. Cellular mobile operators are now legally mandated to maintain localized network downtime within strict thresholds: 5% at Union Council level, 3% at Tehsil level, 2% at District level, and 1% nationwide.Senator Sadia Abbasi emphasized that internet access must be classified as an essential service and called for immediate safeguards to prevent diesel theft and vandalism, warning that failure to secure the infrastructure could disrupt national communications and economic stability.