The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has taken action to address the issue of illegal SIM cards in the country. The Auhtority has blocked 69,000 SIM cards that were issued using canceled or fake identity documents.

This came after the August 16 deadline passed for biometric verification of these SIM cards. PTA has confirmed that these SIMs were registered across Pakistan using invalid or fraudulent ID papers.

To restore their blocked SIMs, users will need to obtain new, valid identity cards from NADRA (Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority) and then visit their mobile operator or franchise to get their SIMs unblocked through biometric verification.

Additionally, PTA has warned that SIMs issued against expired identity cards prior to 2017 will also be blocked within a week. Users can avoid this by renewing their ID cards through NADRA and getting their SIMs verified.

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