Bahawalpur-issued SIM card used in APS attack: PTA chief
Says biometric verification alone can’t end SIM misuse
Dr Ismail Shah. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The subscriber identity module (SIM) card used in the Peshawar Army Public School attack on December 16 last year was issued in Bahawalpur, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told a parliamentary panel behind closed doors on Tuesday.
Referring to Punjab home minister Col (retd) Shuja Khanzada’s assassination on Sunday, a senior interior ministry official told Major (retd) Tahir Iqbal – head of the sub-committee of National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication – that despite biometric verification, the communication network of terrorists could not be dismantled. The PTA blamed weak monitoring mechanism for this failure.
In the presence of intelligence officers, the interior official claimed that PTA and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials were working in collusion with criminals, because of which “grey trafficking and misuse of SIM cards could not be disrupted thus far”.
He said the PTA had failed to deliver. “Our only concern is that incidents of terrorism could not be stopped even after SIM verification, as the existing legislation on telecom doesn’t suggest harsh punishment for those who issue SIM cards.”
An FIA official in attendance said his agency does not interfere in such cases until they receive a written application asking them to participate.
PTA takes exception
Insiders revealed that PTA Chairman Dr Ismail Shah took exception to the interior ministry official’s remarks. “We can’t guarantee ending SIM misuse only through biometric verification.”
Shah said the capability of the relevant institutions and agencies to capture criminals through an effective monitoring system needs to be enhanced.
Cybercrime bill
A member of the in-camera meeting told The Express Tribune that the lawmakers were divided on the government’s move to incorporate cellular crimes in the draft of the cybercrime bill. At least one lawmaker of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz also opposed the move.
Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Shazia Marri proposed that there was a need to enhance the capability of the PTA and the FIA to deal with such crimes.
The second controversial point was the proposal forwarded by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials to book minors for cybercrimes.
Prominent lawyer Babar Sattar opposed the proposal and suggested excluding children from criminal liability.
An ISI official said militants had been using children in terror-related activities in a bid to have a more effective strategy to carry out their nefarious plans with success.
He said that in the modern era, even a child of seven years could misuse a mobile phone in his excitement. “Therefore, it is appropriate to include minors in the ambit of the cybercrime law.”
Khawaja Zaheer and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, legal advisers to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, supported the ISI’s viewpoint.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 2015.
The subscriber identity module (SIM) card used in the Peshawar Army Public School attack on December 16 last year was issued in Bahawalpur, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told a parliamentary panel behind closed doors on Tuesday.
Referring to Punjab home minister Col (retd) Shuja Khanzada’s assassination on Sunday, a senior interior ministry official told Major (retd) Tahir Iqbal – head of the sub-committee of National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication – that despite biometric verification, the communication network of terrorists could not be dismantled. The PTA blamed weak monitoring mechanism for this failure.
In the presence of intelligence officers, the interior official claimed that PTA and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials were working in collusion with criminals, because of which “grey trafficking and misuse of SIM cards could not be disrupted thus far”.
He said the PTA had failed to deliver. “Our only concern is that incidents of terrorism could not be stopped even after SIM verification, as the existing legislation on telecom doesn’t suggest harsh punishment for those who issue SIM cards.”
An FIA official in attendance said his agency does not interfere in such cases until they receive a written application asking them to participate.
PTA takes exception
Insiders revealed that PTA Chairman Dr Ismail Shah took exception to the interior ministry official’s remarks. “We can’t guarantee ending SIM misuse only through biometric verification.”
Shah said the capability of the relevant institutions and agencies to capture criminals through an effective monitoring system needs to be enhanced.
Cybercrime bill
A member of the in-camera meeting told The Express Tribune that the lawmakers were divided on the government’s move to incorporate cellular crimes in the draft of the cybercrime bill. At least one lawmaker of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz also opposed the move.
Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Shazia Marri proposed that there was a need to enhance the capability of the PTA and the FIA to deal with such crimes.
The second controversial point was the proposal forwarded by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials to book minors for cybercrimes.
Prominent lawyer Babar Sattar opposed the proposal and suggested excluding children from criminal liability.
An ISI official said militants had been using children in terror-related activities in a bid to have a more effective strategy to carry out their nefarious plans with success.
He said that in the modern era, even a child of seven years could misuse a mobile phone in his excitement. “Therefore, it is appropriate to include minors in the ambit of the cybercrime law.”
Khawaja Zaheer and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, legal advisers to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, supported the ISI’s viewpoint.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 2015.