Islamabad
Internews

Pakistan is all set to block unverified SIMs after the expiry of the first deadline on February 26. So far 54mn SIMs have been verified through the biometric verification system (BVS) out of 103mn across the country.
The cellular operators are asking the government to extend the deadline in order to avoid the blockage of millions of unverified SIMs. The ministry of information technology is proposing to extend the deadline of the first phase by two weeks but the final decision in this regard will be taken by Minister for Interior Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan.
The interior ministry has given deadline in two phases to verify all SIMs under which the grey SIMs having three or more were issued on CNICs. In Pakistan, usually the male family members got more SIMs on their names as females were reluctant to get SIMs registered on their own names.
So far 7mn SIMs were blocked through BVS process where the users disowned numbers on their names.
“The interior ministry has given direction to accomplish this process in two phases till April 13, and the second phase will begin on February 27,” top PTA officials said yesterday.
Now the PTA will determine how much SIMs will be allowed on CNIC after expiry of the first phase. “We may allow three SIMs on per Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) and any further unverified SIMs will be blocked with immediate effect,” said the sources.

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