Tech Desk
Sep 02, 2024
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has entered the second phase of the campaign it kicked off to mitigate illicit practices and amplify mobile phone users' security by blocking SIM cards registered on expired or fake computerised national identity cards (CNICs) from August 16, 2024.
As part of the second stage, the PTA has specified the policy linked to the conditions that bound a SIM card to be revoked.
From this onwards, only those SIM cards will be blocked that are registered on CNICs that expired and have not been renewed since 2017.
While users are being notified before their SIM cards get blocked, around 70,000 SIMs have been blocked so far since August 16, PTA claimed.
The telecom regulator outlined that in the third phase of SIM revocation, those SIM cards will be blocked that registered on CNICs of deceased.
To ensure unbothered functionality, users who are bound to be affected by the cancellation of SIM cards are advised by the national telecom regulator to visit a nearby franchise of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
The most likely reason which might have prompted PTA to undertake the decision is that expired IDs and SIM cards issued on them pose risks that can be exploited for illegal activities, such as online frauds or virtual crimes, something which has long been on the radar of country's security agencies.
By blocking such SIM cards, the PTA seems adamant to ensure that only active and valid CNIC holders can access mobile services. This will result in a significant drop in criminal activities in the country.
