The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has recently taken decisive action against the issue of illegal SIM cards by blocking 69,000 mobile phone SIMs.
PTA identified these SIMs as being issued with cancelled or counterfeit identification documents following a deadline for biometric verification that concluded on August 16.
This initiative is part of a broader crackdown on mobile service misuse. SIMs registered against ID cards that expired before 2017 will be blocked within the upcoming week.
Read: PTA Opposes FBR’s Plan to Block SIMs of Tax Non-Filers in Pakistan
To mitigate further complications, the PTA urges users to update their ID cards through the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and complete biometric verification of their SIMs. For users whose SIMs have already been blocked, the procedure requires obtaining a new ID card from NADRA and visiting their mobile operator or franchise to unblock their SIM through biometric verification.
Read: PTA Announces Phased Blocking of SIM Cards from August 16
Further detailing their strategy, the PTA has outlined a phased approach to this clampdown. On August 16, the first phase targeted SIMs registered with fraudulent documents. The next phase involves blocking SIMs linked to expired ID cards by September 2, providing users a grace period until then to renew their IDs.
The final phase, scheduled for October 15, will block SIMs registered under the names of deceased individuals, using data acquired from NADRA to enforce these measures.
