The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will start blocking SIM cards across the country on August 16 in a three-phase operation.
As reported by Dunya News, the PTA, in coordination with NADRA’s data, will deactivate SIM cards in different stages. In the first phase, SIMs registered with fake or cancelled ID cards will be blocked. The second phase will focus on SIMs linked to expired ID cards, while the final phase will remove SIMs belonging to deceased individuals from the system.
Reports indicate that some users have already begun receiving notifications from PTA.
Earlier in April, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) instructed PTA to block 500,000 SIMs of non-filers and under-filers.
The FBR had previously worked with PTA to identify 400,000 SIMs belonging to under-filers who didn’t submit their returns despite being notified and having taxable transactions on record.
