ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked 163,200 illegal SIMs across the country as part of its ongoing campaign against unauthorized and fake mobile connections, ARY News reported.
Official documents reveal that 6.43 million inactive SIMs have been permanently deactivated in Islamabad alone. In addition, 2.989 million SIMs registered under the identity cards of deceased individuals have also been blocked.
The PTA further deactivated 171 SIMs issued under unrelated women’s names in new districts and 69,246 SIMs linked to canceled CNICs. Another 783,000 SIMs associated with more than 360,000 expired identity cards were also shut down.
As part of its intensified efforts, the PTA conducted 62 raids nationwide, leading to the arrest of 72 suspects involved in the illegal SIM trade. Authorities seized 193 unauthorized biometric devices and 11,470 SIMs, along with over 296,000 fake biometric fingerprints.
To curb SIM-related fraud, the PTA has rolled out a new multi-finger biometric verification system and installed over 185,000 live finger devices at sales points across the country. Unauthorized retailers have been banned, and SIM sales are now limited to verified service centers. Additionally, a stricter time gap has been introduced between the sale of new SIMs to further enhance security.
Separately, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has announced the immediate blocking of SIMs linked to expired or fake CNICs. The move was decided in a high-level meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
As per the plan, all SIMs issued using CNICs that expired in 2017 or earlier will be blocked in the first phase. The policy will then extend to SIMs linked to CNICs canceled after 2017.
