Mobile SIM cards supplied with erroneous CNICs will be banned

The federal government has taken measures to disable the SIM (subscriber identification module) of mobile phone customers who have expired or invalid identity cards, amid concerns of impending harsh action against tax evaders.

The National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) was instructed to disable the SIM cards of the aforementioned users on Thursday by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

The security czar toured every area of the Nadra headquarters in Islamabad and gave orders to the authorities to create Nadra offices throughout the nation in accordance with the model police stations that had been built in Punjab.

He said that opening a model Nadra office will enhance public convenience and service delivery.

Upon the interior minister’s arrival to the Nadra Headquarters, Lt General Muhammad Munir Afsar, the chairman of Nadra, extended a warm greeting.

For the public’s convenience, the federal minister issued an order at the meeting to waive the death certificate charge. The minister gave the order to provide total protection for the data of the people. According to him, Nadra should construct model offices so that the general public may receive prompt service.

According to him, social media should be used wisely to publicize the institution’s objectives and more services should be made available on mobile platforms for the convenience of the public.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) finalized a plan to ban 500,000 SIMs of non-filers and under-filers after Eid ul Fitr as part of a tough operation against tax dodgers, according to a story published in The News earlier this month.

It is learned that the SIMs would be restricted throughout the current month.

Leading government sources told The News on April 9 that the FBR would issue an Income Tax General Order (IGTO) following Eid ul Fitr. This was in order to identify 400,000 under-filers—those who had taxable income but neglected to file their returns—after consulting with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

They received letters and the FBR had information about their transactions, but they never submitted their reports. 100,000 non-filers will have their SIMs disabled in addition to being detected by the FBR Broadening to Tax Base (BTB).

“Yes, we have finalized the details of this strict action against those who are accused of evading taxes, and their mobile phone SIMs will be blocked by April 2024,” a senior official declared.