The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT and Telecom has raised serious concerns over Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited’s (PTCL) failure to undergo an official audit, despite clear directives from the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
During the committee meeting, members grilled the concerned officials over PTCL’s persistent refusal to comply. The committee chairman questioned,
“Why has PTCL not conducted the audit yet?”
Audit officials revealed that PTCL has consistently declined to undergo auditing, stating that the Etisalat Group, which owns a significant stake in PTCL, is not a public body and therefore does not fall under audit obligations.
Senator Afnanullah highlighted a clause in PTCL’s privatization agreement, which, according to him, exempted the company from mandatory audits. However, audit authorities responded by saying they would verify the clause.
Adding to the debate, Senator Nadeem Bhutto strongly criticized the stance, emphasizing,
“The Supreme Court has issued clear directives that PTCL’s audit must be carried out, yet it is still being ignored.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of IT officials clarified that PTCL does conduct audits, but not through the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), a key requirement under existing rules for entities with majority government shareholding.
Audit authorities further stressed,
“Any company where the government holds the majority share is bound to be audited by the Auditor General.”
The committee warned that PTCL’s persistent refusal is a matter of public accountability and raised concerns that government directives are being openly defied.