By Pervaiz Mughal
ISLAMABAD: The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), in collaboration with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), has inaugurated a two-day meeting of the SATRC Working Group on Policy, Regulation and Services in Islamabad.
The meeting, held from 1–2 July 2026, brings together delegates from SATRC member administrations including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, along with representatives of the APT secretariat and local stakeholders. It is the first meeting under the SATRC Action Plan Phase X (SAP-X), which was endorsed at SATRC-26 held in Islamabad in 2025.
In a virtual address, APT Secretary General Dr Masanori Kondo praised the PTA for hosting the event and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to regional cooperation, knowledge sharing and capacity building among member countries.
PTA Member (Compliance & Enforcement) Dr Khawar Siddique Khokhar, who also chairs the SATRC Working Group on Policy, Regulation and Services, highlighted the importance of the meeting in advancing SAP-X objectives and strengthening collaboration on forward-looking policy and regulatory frameworks.
Chairman PTA and SATRC Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman welcomed foreign delegates and said the forum provides a key platform for member states to discuss shared challenges in telecommunications and information and communications technology.
He urged participants to move beyond formal agenda items and focus on practical regulatory and operational issues to help develop collaborative regional solutions. The two-day meeting will focus on policy and regulatory discussions, technical presentations and the development of work plans for implementing SAP-X. routes.
