On Monday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced that it will suspend mobile SIMs of users who have not updated their expired Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs).
This move marks the second phase of PTA’s campaign to eliminate illegal SIM usage across Pakistan. “SIMs linked to CNICs that expired before 2017 and have not been renewed will be suspended,” PTA stated.
The authority has encouraged all users to renew their CNICs promptly to prevent their SIMs from being blocked. In the first phase of the operation, PTA targeted fake SIMs and cancelled CNICs associated with fraudulent activities.
According to the authority, “Since August 16, we have blocked over 69,000 illegal SIMs based on data from the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).”
In the upcoming third phase, PTA plans to deactivate SIMs registered under the names of deceased individuals.
Before initiating SIM suspensions, the authority sent awareness messages to users, urging them to update their data.
PTA’s statement also highlighted the misuse of fake SIMs in crimes such as terrorism, financial fraud, and other illegal activities.
Over the past three and a half years, PTA has blocked over 363,000 URLs hosting illegal content. From January 2021 to June 2024, the category with the lowest blocking rate was defamatory or impersonating content, with 307,610 URLs blocked by social media platforms, reflecting an overall rate of 84.72%.
Content offensive to Islam’s glory also saw significant action, with 37,479 of 46,103 URLs blocked. For sectarianism and hate speech, 28,922 of 34,673 URLs were blocked.
 is set to suspend mobile SIMs connected to outdated CNICs as part of its ongoing efforts to curb illegal SIM usage.){kind=link}