The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has taken a decisive measure to combat the use of illegal SIM cards by blocking 69,000 SIMs issued against canceled or fake identity cards. This action follows the expiration of the August 16 deadline for biometric verification, during which the PTA identified and targeted SIM cards registered with invalid or fraudulent identity documents nationwide.
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To reactivate their blocked SIMs, affected users are required to obtain new identity cards from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and visit their mobile service provider or an authorized franchise to undergo biometric verification.
In addition, the PTA has issued a warning that SIMs registered with identity cards that expired before 2017 will be deactivated within a week. Users can prevent this by renewing their identity cards through NADRA and ensuring that their SIMs are properly verified.
