Illegal SIMs: FIA, police barred from raiding franchises

SHC issues notices to interior ministry and CID.

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has restrained the interior ministry and the Crime Investigation Department (CID) authorities from raiding the franchises of cellular companies that are allegedly selling mobile SIMs illegally.

Justice Ghulam Sarwar Korai, who headed the bench, also issued notices to the secretaries of the interior ministry, provincial home department, provincial police chief and the CID in-charge to file their comments.

Shafquat Hussain Niazi along with 18 franchisers had gone to court against the alleged harassment by the police, the Federal Investigation Agency and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The petitioners said the authorities are raiding their offices after accusing them of selling pre-activated mobile SIMs in violation of the law.

The petitioners maintained that they are selling activated SIMs for the last three years while the de-activated SIMs sold by them were, in fact, activated by the PTA and the cellular companies. “That, too, was done after complete verification of the consumers, then how can the authorities ask the franchises about the customers’ whereabouts,” their lawyer argued.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2014.