PTA ordered that all illegal SIMs be blocked with immediate effect. PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday ordered that all illegal mobile SIMs be blocked, Express News reported.
Upon holding a meeting with telecommunication companies, PTA officials pointed out that unverified and unregistered SIMs had a part to play in increasing crime and terrorism in the country.
It was agreed that the unverified SIMs be immediately blocked.
If someone finds that a SIM card has been blocked by mistake, they can request unblocking from the mobile operators.
However, SIMs will only be unblocked after carrying out thorough investigation.
Currently, there are 4, 500,000 unverified SIMs in Pakistan and the number does not include SIMs that are unregistered.
Mobile operators have already started taking action on PTA's directive, reported Express News correspondent.
Earlier, interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had emphasised on making the process of acquiring new SIMs more difficult.
“The use of unverified and unregistered SIMs is a threat to Pakistan’s security,” he had said in a statement issued to The Express Tribune.
He had added that no compromises will be made on the issue with cellular companies because it is a matter of national security.
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Good move, late but over due....this move should have been done long long time ago.....but since, the mobile operators were minting money, they looked other way.....now that their own lives and lives of their family is at stake, they are forced to do this, not because they have any love for the country.....same way , that APC on supposedly serious note has been called, because, now these Politicians lives and their own family lives are at stake, otherwise, why no serious effort had been done in past five years.....?
Was is the use of blocking the SIM Cards by PTA when thousands of innocent people have been killed in Pakistan due to terrorist activities, the major source of communication between the terrorists and target killers were the cellular SIM Cards.