Islamabad, July 18 (ANI): Millions of mobile SIM cards given to mobile users without properly ascertaining their identity are posing a grave threat to Pakistan's security and social harmony, said members of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology, here last evening.
Expressing concern over large-scale proliferation of such undocumented SIMs, the Standing Committee said that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had failed in implementing the procedures agreed earlier, through the franchises of various cellular companies.
The PTA was supposed to block some 7.4 million undocumented SIMs by April 30, but it had not completed the job so far and was still to block 1.4 million SIMs. This does not include the SIMs issued from May 1 to date and it is believed that millions of more SIMs have been sold by various cellular companies through franchises without adopting the procedure of verification of subscribers' data, reported the Dawn.
Chairman of the Committee, Abdul Raziq suggested that the mobile phone companies should be asked to issue 'non-active' SIMs to potential buyers, which would be activated only after verification of data from the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA).
He further said that Pakistan welcomed investment by foreign companies and the government would facilitate them in every manner, but considerations of security could not be compromised at any cost. (ANI)
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