PTA has blocked 26 million unverified SIMs: minister

Senate adopts NUMS Bill but only on the assurance it would later support amendments

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked at least 26 million mobile phone SIMs during the biometric verification process that started two years ago but gained impetus in the wake of the National Action Plan’s adoption earlier this year.

This disclosure was made by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed during question-hour on Friday. The minister was responding to a question submitted by Senator Chaudhary Tanvir Khan.

Aftab said the interior ministry had taken prompt action on the sensitive issue of SIMs verification. The minister said the cellular mobile operators are required to collect activation tax at Rs250 per new SIM from the customers. “However, the operators do not charge the activation tax or any other amount from their customers rather they absorb the activation tax,” he said.

In response to another question, the minister said the government was monitoring the performance of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and was committed to making the national flag carrier a profitable institution.



“An amount of Rs16 billion has been provided to the PIA. Apart from this, an additional Rs52 million has been spent on the acquisition of 15 aircraft on dry lease,” he added.

A question by Senator Usman Khan Kakar generated discussion on the age and qualification of members of the board of directors in both the PIA and Civil Aviation Authority.

When the senators questioned the qualifications of the members, one being as young as 35 years old and others being under qualified for being on the board, the minister said there were countless examples of members of royalty who did not qualify for their otherwise important posts.

NUMS Bill passed

The Senate also unanimously passed a bill to establish the military-run National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS).

The National University of Medical Science Bill, 2015, was passed after thorough discussion and an assurance by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif that the government will either support or adopt the amendment brought about by two senators as private members.

Earlier on, Senators Farhatullah Babar and Maulana Attaur Rehman had moved amendments calling for the overarching oversight of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), a body set up by the parliament to regulate all aspects of medical education.

During the discussion on the amendments, there was a consensus that NUMS was to be subjected to the rules of the regulator, ie, the PMDC. There was, however, disagreement over whether the proposed amendments ought to be passed now or later.

Asif argued that if the amendments were passed now, it would delay the final adoption of the bill, as it would have to be sent back to the National Assembly -- which has already passed it.

The movers, Senator Babar and Senator Talha Mahmood on behalf of Maulana Attaur Rehman, agreed to withdraw the amendments and the government assured it would support the amendments to be tabled subsequently.

Earlier explaining the rationale for the amendment, Babar said that while no one objected to a military- run medical university but “it must be subject to rigorous oversight of the PMDC like any other medical university in the country”.

He added that although there were several clauses in the bill that merited review, all these could be condoned if the university was brought under the overarching oversight of PMDC.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2015