AJK to get telecom licence fee

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has made amendments to the law for transferring the licence fee, renewal fee and spectrum auction proceeds received from telecom operators working in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to the regional government. So far, the fee and proceeds got from the licensees have been parked in Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) as an agent of the AJK Council. Now, the government has amended the law to provide the fee to the AJK government. The decision was made in a recent meeting of the cabinet. The Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan recalled that the matter was earlier submitted to the cabinet in its meeting held on February 6, 2024 by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. The cabinet directed the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs to prepare a summary, in accordance with the Rules of Business, 1973 and by incorporating the views of relevant ministries, for consideration in the next cabinet meeting.