Pakistan Peoples Party leaders Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Abdul Qadir Patel used a National Assembly sitting to ridicule the government’s plans to roll out 5G, pointing to poor internet access across the country.
During question hour, lawmakers directed their criticism at the parliamentary secretary and the Ministry of Information Technology over sluggish connection speeds and weak mobile signals nationwide.
Lawmakers say 4G and 5G are not working properly
Aseefa Bhutto Zardari said neither 4G nor 5G was functioning properly in Nawabshah and other areas. She stressed that faster speeds and better service were needed for every sector, including businesses.
When Parliamentary Secretary for IT Sabeen Ghauri could not explain what 5G meant or its details, Aseefa sarcastically offered to teach her. “If the parliamentary secretary does not know what 5G means, she can come and sit with us, and we will explain it to her,” Aseefa said.
Patel, a member of the Panel of Chairmen, also mocked the proposed rollout. “Has 4G died that 5G is being introduced?” he asked, adding that internet services had become slower and more dysfunctional since the current government took office.
Government outlines phased 5G launch in 24 cities
Responding to the criticism, Sabeen Ghauri told the House that the government would first stabilise 5G services in 24 major cities before extending coverage to other areas.
She said 2G and 3G services had also been affected in some areas by disruptive activities and security concerns.
In a written response to the National Assembly, the Ministry of IT said Pakistan currently has 210 million mobile users, including 161.7 million mobile broadband subscribers. The ministry said several proposals were under consideration, including reducing mobile taxes, promoting local smartphone manufacturing and allowing duty-free imports of 5G equipment.
Research funding approved but not yet released
The written briefing said Rs352.5 million had been approved for advanced research programmes, including Spark and Elevate, for the 2026-27 fiscal year. However, no funds had yet been released through the federal budget or the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
The programmes are expected to offer grants of Rs100 million to Rs200 million for 18 months to startups, universities and small and medium-sized enterprises.
The House was also told of a plan to set up a Pakistan Venture Capital Fund, estimated to cost $20 million, aimed at drawing private investment into IT startups.
