A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, reviewed allegations of misappropriation of Rs150 million per month linked to illegal call centers operating in Pakistan.
Officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told the committee that the matter falls under the Anti-Corruption Wing and that FIRs have been registered against 13 accused. They said the case involves illegal call centers accused of embezzling nearly Rs300 million. So far, Rs1.5 million has been recovered from a sub-inspector. According to FIA officials, three suspects are currently untraceable, five are out on bail, and three are in custody.
FIA officials informed the committee that further investigation could implicate officials from other departments as well. They added that illegal call centers have been operating in Pakistan for a long time and that 271 FIA officers were penalized this year, accounting for 5.8 percent of FIA cases.
Senator Pervez Rashid said the issue of illegal call centers has existed for years and recalled that former interior minister Rehman Malik had once stated that some call centers were being run from car trunks with the involvement of government officials. He questioned why Pakistan could not eliminate such networks when other countries had done so and said Pakistan’s call centers had drawn complaints from around the world.
FIA officials said the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), previously part of the FIA, is now a separate entity and the case is being pursued as a federal anti-corruption matter.
The IT Ministry secretary told the committee that call centers themselves are not illegal and are required to be registered. He said only those involved in unlawful activities should be considered illegal, adding that around 3,000 call centers are registered in Pakistan.
NCCIA officials said they received around 150,000 cyber-related complaints last year and confirmed that a major raid in Karachi led to the discovery of large illegal call centers, with arrests still underway.
Additional Secretary Interior said FIA conducted effective raids but emphasized that cybercrime evolves rapidly with changing technology, often putting law enforcement a step behind. He noted that cybercrime is no longer limited to call centers and has expanded to social media platforms. He requested more time for NCCIA to complete investigations.
During the meeting, Pakistan Datacom CEO Brigadier (Retd) Zulfiqar lodged a complaint with the committee, alleging unfair treatment by the board and the IT Ministry. He said he had improved the company’s performance and faced retaliation after removing disruptive elements from the organization.
The committee also discussed salaries and perks of PTCL board members. PTCL legal adviser Zahida Awan said board members do not receive special perks and that the federal government is represented by four board members, including Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahsan Iqbal. Senator Saadia Abbasi said the prime minister had taken strict notice of the issue and directed that such payments be stopped.
PTA Chairman Major General (Retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman told the committee that licenses would soon be issued to provide internet services at the district level. He said digital communication reduces government expenses and argued that such services should ideally be free. He also pointed out that billions of rupees collected under the Universal Service Fund remained unused for years.