In response to a Samaa TV report, Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja expressed strong displeasure over the billions of rupees in discounts granted to LDI companies.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Information Technology acknowledged the error and retracted the initial letter that granted these exemptions.
The Minister of State firmly stated that LDI operators must pay the full Rs 24 billion required for the renewal of their licenses and the issue of late payment charges will be addressed once the pending court cases are resolved.
The IT Minister has directed the issuance of a new letter to ensure the collection of the full amount from the LDI companies.
Samaa TV had previously reported that more than Rs 50 billion in discounts were granted to telecom companies.
Documents obtained by Samaa TV revealed that Rs 54 billion in late payment charges were waived for ten companies. These companies were initially required to pay Rs 76 billion for the Access Promotion Contribution (APC) and the Universal Service Fund (USF), with Rs 24 billion as the principal amount and Rs 54 billion as late payment charges.
A provision was made to pay half of the 24 billion rupees in 30 installments, with the penalty being waived.
The Secretary of IT clarified that there was no intention to waive the dues and markup for the companies. Any ambiguity from the previous notification would be addressed.
According to the documents, the companies have approached the court to settle this amount, and the case is still pending. The court orders do not mention any discount for renewing the licenses of these companies.
