The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced the blocking of more than 5.8 million inactive SIM cards across the country.
In a statement, the PTA revealed that it conducted 40 raids in various cities to target illegal SIMs. During these operations, authorities confiscated 7,500 SIM cards and 152 biometric verification system devices. Additionally, 47 suspects were arrested.
The raids were carried out in multiple locations, including Kasur, Kharian, Sialkot, Lahore, Peshawar, Pano Aqil, Kashmore, Sukkur, Sheikhupura, Sharqpur Sharif, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sahiwal, and Hassan Abdal.
According to the PTA, a crackdown on illegal SIMs is also part of its efforts for the fiscal year 2023-24.
Earlier, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said on Monday that neither the regulator had blocked any virtual private network (VPNs) in the country till-date, nor it planned to do so in the future despite having the capability to block them.
The PTA launched its ‘Annual Report’ indicating that the telecom sector revenues reached a record Rs955 billion in fiscal year 2023-24, with an average revenue per user (ARPU) of Rs302 per month in April-June 2024 period.
Speaking at the report launching ceremony, PTA Chairman Hafizur Rehman made it clear that so far, no VPN had been blocked and there was no such plan for the future.
“We have said it before, and I repeat it now: we could block VPNs, but we won’t. To date, no VPNs have been blocked,” he said.
