Step taken following report submitted by NAB to PHC.
The deputy commissioner on Thursday imposed a ban on the sale and purchase of subscriber identity modules (SIMs) issued by Afghanistan-based cellular service providers.
Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Syed Zaheerul Islam imposed Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for a period of one month, following a report presented to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) a day earlier. The report said around 40,000 illegal SIMs issued by Afghanistan-based cellular companies were operating in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Illegal SIMs are also operating on international roaming services provided by local cellular service providers in the absence of an agreement to provide such services to Afghan companies.
“Afghanistan-based companies’ SIMs are being used in terrorism, extortion and other crimes in the city,” Islam said in a statement. He imposed an immediate ban on the sale and purchase of such SIMs and asked law enforcement agencies to take action against violators.
The deputy commissioner also issued orders for an immediate ban on aerial firing under Section 144 of the PPC, directing the police to take prompt action against violators. Although the deputy commissioner imposed a one-month ban, he said the restriction could be extended after a further analysis of the situation.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2013.
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