The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has initiated a three-phase plan to block SIM cards across the country, beginning on August 16.
According to Dunya News, the PTA, in collaboration with NADRA’s data, will block SIM cards in different stages. In the first phase, SIMs registered with fake or canceled ID cards will be deactivated. The second phase will target SIMs linked to expired ID cards, and the final phase will remove SIMs belonging to deceased individuals from the system.
Reports suggest that some users have already started receiving notifications from PTA.
Earlier in April, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) directed PTA to block 500,000 SIMs of non-filers and under-filers.
The central tax authority had previously consulted with PTA to identify 400,000 SIMs belonging to under-filers who failed to submit their returns despite being notified and having taxable transactions on record.
