Press Release Title: Senator Rana Mahmood Ul Hassan, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat presiding over a meeting of the committee at Parliament House Islamabad

Press Release Date: 28th October, 2026

Senate Committee on Cabinet Secretariat Reviews Dual Nationality Disclosure, Mobile Phone Duties, SIM Issuance through NADRA and Satellite Internet Services   The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat met today at Parliament House, Islamabad, under the chairpersonship of Senator Rana Mahmood Ul Hassan. Senators Saadia Abbasi, Mohammad Abdul Qadir, Dilawar Khan and Shahadat Awan attended.   The Committee reviewed the implementation status of its earlier recommendations. It deferred the compliance report on the number of attempts permitted in the FPSC examination for CSS, as the Members who had deliberated on the issue in the Sub-Committee were absent. The Committee examined the report on the fire at the Customs State Warehouse in Quetta. It was informed that the Joint Investigation Team found no direct evidence of who started the fire, while a forensic report indicated traces of petroleum products. The team recommended further investigation by a specialised crime agency. The matter is pending with the Chief Minister of Balochistan, and charge sheets have been issued. The Committee asked for the list of rewards given to Collectors and the basis for them. Officials explained that it is being compiled and will be shared once finalized. It was added that under the rules, a reward of 15 per cent of the amount deposited in the national treasury from seized smuggled goods is shared among the officers concerned.   The Committee received a briefing from the Secretary, Establishment Division, the Director General IB and the Director General FIA on identifying undisclosed dual or foreign nationality among government servants. The rules were framed in June 2026. Of approximately 2,900 officers, 1,095 had submitted declarations and 95 declared foreign nationality. A summary has been sent to the Prime Minister seeking authority to proceed against those who have not declared, and non-disclosure may amount to misconduct. FIA explained that its system, integrated with NADRA and the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS), flags cases through biometric and facial matching. Pakistan has dual nationality agreements with 22 countries. Members asked how concealment would be detected where an officer travels on another passport, and recommended sharing civil servants' data with NADRA. During the discussion, Senator Saadia Abbasi objected to the Secretary, Establishment Division, serving as Chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), saying a regulator must be independent of the executive. The Secretary, Cabinet Division, explained that the arrangement was made to regulate petroleum prices during the Middle East conflict. The item was deferred to the next meeting.   The Committee considered Starred Question No. 27 asked by Senator Shahadat Awan on the criteria devised by PTA for enforcing licensees' rollout obligations in the absence of a framework governing Right of Way. Official from Ministey of Information Technology and Telecommunication, informed the Committee that the Prime Minister had formed a committee, and it is delivberating on the issue. The Committee deferred the item, due to absence of official from Ministry of Law and Justice and directed that the concerned officials attend the next meeting, and asked for a copy of the draft.   The Committee discussed the depreciation policy for the customs valuation of old and used mobile phones. FBR, PTA and Customs officials explained that the PTA system identifies a phone's model through its IMEI but cannot determine its storage capacity or age, which limits the assessment of value and duty. They said proposals on depreciation and storage capacity had been received by FBR and were being examined, and that changes would be made in the WeBOC system. A Member PTA urged FBR to base duty on the model rather than storage capacity, and Senator Dilawar Khan called for lower duties to encourage wider ownership and data use. Members noted that a three-year-old phone attracts the same duty as a new one. The Minister stated that 92 to 95 per cent of phones in use are manufactured locally, while the remainder are high-end imported brands such as Apple and Google Pixel, which are subject to customs duty. She added that the Prime Minister had directed work on an easy instalment policy for smartphones. The Secretary, Cabinet Division, stressed the need for tax relief for locally manufactured phones. The Committee noted that duty rates are decided by the Tax Policy Office and recommended inviting it, along with FBR, to brief the Committee within a month. Taxation of 5G phones, iPads and SIM-enabled tablets was also discussed.   A Member PTA and the Officials from NADRA briefed the Committee on enabling SIM issuance through the NADRA PakID application and introducing facial recognition with live photographs at SIM issuance points. NADRA said it had identified the need for multi-biometric verification in 2024, as fingerprints of elderly citizens may not verify because of fading with age. NADRA said its APIs are available to operators, whose reservations were resolved today, and that documentation would follow next week. If the matter is not resolved, the Committee will call the telecom operators. Members raised recent cases of SIM and bank fraud and asked for a solution for citizens who cannot give biometrics, such as prisoners.   On satellite internet services, SECP briefed the Committee on five companies registered with it. PTA informed the Committee that it has finalised its framework for satellite services, while the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) is finalising its framework for satellite registration and the issuance of NOCs to applicants.   The Committee showed it’s displeasure on not providing the data and material as directed through the letters. It was directed to the Islamabad Club to provide response to the Committee at the earliest.  The Committee deferred the remaining items, including the briefing on 5G rollout, aircraft radio licences, industrial electricity tariff for the telecom sector and tower sharing,.