The government has extended the tenure of the National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre (NTMC) by one year, despite a prior recommendation from the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances to dissolve the controversial surveillance agency. The decision, issued on February 20, 2026, allows NTMC to continue operations until new telecommunications regulations are implemented. Meanwhile, the promised restructuring of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), including a name and uniform change to the Special Intervention Force (SIF), has seen no visible progress.

Experts and rights advocates have expressed concern that the NTMC’s vast data archives—containing call records, location data, and social media information—lack a transparent plan for disposal or transfer. Critics argue that extending NTMC’s mandate without a clear roadmap risks erasing evidence related to past disappearances. The Commission of Inquiry had earlier identified both NTMC and RAB as central to human rights abuses under the previous administration and recommended their dissolution or deep reform.

Analysts warn that the government’s delay in reforming these institutions undermines public expectations of accountability and may prolong a culture of impunity surrounding surveillance and extrajudicial actions.