Tag: SIMs

  • IHC stops government from blocking SIMs of non-filers

    IHC stops government from blocking SIMs of non-filers

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday stopped the government from blocking phone SIMs of non-filers.

    IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq issued a stay order effective till May 27 as the court took up the petition today filed by a mobile phone company challenging the government’s decision to block SIMs of non-filers.

    Salman Akram Raja, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader, was the petitioner’s counsel and gave forward the argument that the amendment in the law is at odds with Article 18 of the Constitution which guarantees freedom to do business.

    The High Court order came out after the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and telecom operators agreed on blocking of SIMs of tax non-filers in a bid to reduce tax evasion and improve revenue.

    FBR had announced that telecom companies have agreed to commence the manual blocking process of SIMs in small batches until their systems are fully equipped to automate it.

    It also announced initially 5,000 non-filers would be targeted and then further more batches would be sent to telecom operators.

  • Tax chor tyar hojaen; FBR, telecos agree to start blocking SIMs

    Tax chor tyar hojaen; FBR, telecos agree to start blocking SIMs

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and telecom operators have agreed on blocking SIMs of tax non-filers as part of the government’s strategy to punish tax evasion, The News reported on Saturday.

    In a statement, the FBR announced that telecom companies have agreed to start the manual blocking process of SIMs in small batches until their systems are fully equipped to automate it.

    The FBR said that the first batch comprising 5,000 non-filers has been communicated to telecom operators and further batches would be sent to telecom companies on a daily basis.

    Meanwhile, the operators have also commenced sending messages to non-filers regarding the blocking of their SIMs for intimation purposes.

    Earlier, a deadlock had been created when telecom operators refused to implement FBR’s decision to block 500,000 SIMs of tax evaders.

  • Unregistered sims are being used by fraudsters, terrorists

    Unregistered sims are being used by fraudsters, terrorists

    Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crimes has submitted a report on the fraudulent acquisition of biometrics of mobile SIMs to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

    As restrictions have tightened, counterfeiters have also invented new methods, according to the FIA report, including the use of fake thumbprints for SIM registration.

    According to the report, more than 80,000 SIMs registered on silicon thumbs were reported in four years. Fraudsters are said to obtain fingerprints by luring people into registering for voter lists or for obtaining cheaper essential items etc. which are then imprinted on silicon thumbs and SIMs are consequently registered.

    According to the report, it has been revealed that unregistered SIMs are being used by terrorists. More than 3,500 SIMs obtained on fake registrations are active right now out of which 93 cases were registered over the past four years, 193 people were arrested, and 294 fake biometric devices were also used.

  • Sindh govt to block phone SIMs of unvaccinated people

    Sindh govt to block phone SIMs of unvaccinated people

    The Sindh government has officially decided to write a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to block phone SIMs of unvaccinated people amid a rise in Covid-19 cases in the province.

    Adviser to Chief Minister Sindh on Law, Murtaza Wahab, took to Twitter to announce the decision.

    “#SindhGovt has decided to write to NCOC & PTA that mobile sims of unvaccinated people should be blocked,” he wrote in a tweet.

    According to details, Chief Minister Sindh has also said that the PTA would be contacted through the federal government to encourage the users via text messages to get vaccinated and those not getting a shot in a week will have their SIMs blocked.

    As cases are increasing in the province, the Sindh government has decided to tighten the restrictions. The Covid-19 task force held a meeting on Friday and made the following decisions:

    • Shopping malls and markets can operate from 6am to 6pm except for pharmacies and bakeries.
    • The government has imposed a ban on indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants. Only takeaways are allowed.
    • Public and private offices have been asked to call in 50 per cent of their workforce.
    • Shrines to be closed once again.
    • Ban to be imposed on weddings and other events.
    • Schools will remain closed, while exams will continue as per schedule.

    The new restrictions will be imposed from Monday, July 26. The positivity rate in Sindh is 10.3 per cent, the task force participants were informed. Karachi’s situation is getting worse day by day. At least 1,002 patients are in critical care.

    As per reports, the province reported six cases of the Delta variant on Monday, the province’s health secretary, Qasim Soomro, confirmed.

    The guidelines to avoid exposure to the new variant are the same:

    • Sanitise hands more often
    • Wear a mask
    • Avoid public gatherings
    • Get vaccinated as soon as possible
    • Avoid meeting people with symptoms
    • Avoid unnecessary travel

    Total tests conducted in the last 24 hours were 25,215 out of which 1,425 cases tested positive. The positivity rate was 5.65 per cent as per NCOC.