Those who will formally be charge-sheeted in any case under the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Act will no longer be eligible to contest parliamentary elections or apply for government jobs.

The Council of Advisers approved a proposal for amendment to the ICT Act-1973 during its meeting on Thursday, presided over by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.

“Section 23 has been added to the International Crimes Tribunal Act 1973 during today’s meeting,” said Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam while briefing the media at the Foreign Service Academy.

“Under the newly added section, if a formal charge sheet is filed against any person under Section 9(1) of the Act, he or she will be disqualified from being elected to or continuing as a Member of Parliament,” he said.

Alam said the same ineligibility would be applicable for those seeking to contest elections to local government bodies or hold positions such as commissioner, chairman, mayor, or administrator.

“Such individuals will also be barred from being appointed to the service of the Republic or from holding any public office,” he said.

The meeting gave the final approval to the draft of the 'International Crimes (Tribunals) (Third Amendment) Ordinance, 2025' that incorporated the new section.

Meanwhile, the Council of Advisers approved 'Telecommunications Network and Licensing Policy, 2025', marking a historic breakthrough in the country's telecom sector.

Chief Adviser's Special Assistant on the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb the previous licensing regime, which had a total of 3,299 licenses of 26 types, could not ensure the standardisation of telecom services and price consistency as per quality. “To address this challenge, the new policy has limited the licensing structure to only 3 types".

He said it will allow for greater focus on ensuring improved Quality of Service (QoS) as per the needs of the citizens.

The new policy will allow telecom companies to provide better services competitively through active and passive sharing, he said, adding that it will ensure quality improvement in telecom services and create opportunities for increased foreign direct investment (FDI).

The policy creates room for next-generation services and technologies, including Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), VoWiFi, WiFi-6, WiFi-7, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Special Assistant said.

By removing barriers to providing new digital services, innovation opportunities have been created for newcomers, especially for SMEs, he said.