Advise mobile users to renew their national identity cards before their expiry date
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) launched a public awareness campaign regarding mobile SIMs registered on invalid, canceled or expired identity cards and asked users to update their documents in time.
According to the PTA, mobile numbers linked to inactive, canceled or expired National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Computerized National Identity Cards may be suspended or blocked as per regulatory rules.
The authority advised mobile users to renew their national identity cards before their expiry date so that there would be no disruption in mobile service.
The PTA also clarified that after renewing the identity card, users must immediately update their information in the relevant mobile company’s registers so that the registration information is correct.
According to the agency, only those SIMs that were registered on valid and verifiable identity documents will remain active, while users who do not renew on time may face mobile service suspension.
Read more: SIM cards linked to expired or deceased ID holders must be blocked
Earlier this month, the home ministry had directed the PTA to follow NADRA’s recommendations in a move aimed at curbing misuse of mobile networks through fake or inactive identities.
A NADRA spokesperson said a total of 4,906,611 SIMs would be blocked in phases, adding that the process targeted IDs that had not been renewed or belonged to deceased persons.
The spokesman said this action was aimed at “enhancing national security and strengthening the digital ecosystem by making it more secure and reliable.”
