ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has extended deadline for biometric verification of SIM cards till April 14, as the earlier deadline is going to end today (Feb 26).
According to PTA, about 53 million SIMs belonging to 38 million users have been verified so far last six weeks. Almost 140 million SIMs are being used across the country while 10 million suspicious and unregistered SIMs have been blocked so far.
The national database is being compiled as part of the government’s 20-point plan to curb terrorism in the wake of the December 16 Peshawar school attack.
PTA Chairman Syed Ismail Shah has said the remaining 49 million SIMs will be verified within 91 days. The biometric verification system was introduced in August 2014, therefore, the SIMs registered before the system came into force would have to go through the verification process.