ISLAMABAD: To curb the misuse of illegally obtained SIMs and strengthen telecom security, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked around 18.2 million SIMs over the past two and a half years and imposed Rs4.5 billion in fines on cellular operators for regulatory violations.
The figures were shared during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics, chaired by Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, as lawmakers examined the use of stolen biometric information and illegally obtained SIMs in cyber and financial crimes.
Officials from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) told the committee that fingerprints and biometric data belonging to around 600,000 citizens were recovered during a single raid. Officials informed the committee that illegally obtained SIMs were being used in various criminal activities, including financial fraud. In one case, a suspect arrested in Faisalabad possessing 195 active mobile SIMs, along with 16 smartphones and 81 ATM cards belonging to different banks.
The committee was also informed about cases involving the misuse of citizens’ biometric information to obtain SIMs. In one case in Rajanpur, a woman’s thumb impression was allegedly obtained on the pretext of providing ration and later used to acquire a SIM that was reportedly linked to terrorism.
Officials called for stronger SIM verification mechanisms, including facial recognition, as well as immediate alerts to customers whenever a new SIM is issued against their identity. The committee directed the PTA and cellular operators to strengthen monitoring and verification systems and take effective measures to prevent the misuse of SIMs and citizens’ biometric information.
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