PTCL appoints Mohammad Nadeem Khan as chief executive
PTCL has appointed Mohammad Nadeem Khan as its new CEO, succeeding Hatem Bamatraf. Khan, a long-time Group CFO, takes the helm amidst ongoing disputes related to the company's 2006 privatization.
- Mohammad Nadeem Khan's appointment as CEO.
- His extensive experience within the PTCL Group.
- The ongoing $799 million privatization dispute with Etisalat.
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the largest telecom services provider in the country, has appointed Mohammad Nadeem Khan as its chief executive.
The appointment comes following Nadeem Khan’s completion of 14 days as interim CEO. The listed telecom disclosed this in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday.
Khan is a Chartered Accountant with over two decades of association with the PTCL Group. He joined Ufone as Chief Financial Officer in 2003, a role he held for a decade, before a brief stint on the Board of U Microfinance Bank Limited.
He was appointed at the PTCL Group in 2017 as Group Chief Financial Officer, going on to oversee the Group’s financial strategy through a period of major transformation, including the Telenor Pakistan acquisition. He currently serves as a Member of the Accounting Standards Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan.
The appointment comes after Hatem Bamatraf, serving as President and CEO of PTCL & Ufone for the past 5 years, stepped down from his role at PTCL to take on the position of CEO of Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML).
Incorporated in Pakistan on December 31, 1995 and commenced business on 1 January 1996, PTCL owns and operates telecommunication facilities and provides domestic and international telephone services and other communication facilities throughout Pakistan.
In 2006, Pakistan privatised the PTCL by selling a 26% stake and management control to Etisalat International Pakistan for $2.6 billion. While initially hailed as a landmark reform, the deal has been plagued by a prolonged dispute over the transfer of properties, with approximately $799 million still withheld by Etisalat.
In January 2026, Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar travelled to Dubai to meet with the management of Etisalat, seeking to resolve the long-standing dispute. Pakistan sought a prompt settlement of the unresolved issue.
In April 2026, Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) urged the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation, Muhammad Ali, to direct the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to recover outstanding dues from Etisalat.