The government is considering banning pre-paid SIMS in a bid to increase security vigilance and curb terrorist activities, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Wednesday. Talking to reporters here, he said that a final decision in this regard would be taken after taking all stakeholders on board. He said that the government had jammed cellular phones in a bid to foil terror plots on Eid.
Referring to the inquiry into the attack on the Kamra air base, he said that progress had been made and domestic elements involved in the attack had been identified. He said that information had been gathered by the ministry two weeks ago that terrorists were planning to carry out several attacks, which had been foiled by jamming mobile phones.
According to him, terrorists use cell phones for carrying out terrorist activities. Terrorists, he said, had planned to attack important installations in major cities on Eidul Fitr. He said that the jamming of cellular phone communication had also helped in decreasing various crimes, particularly targeted killings.
Reiterating various irregularities in pre-paid cell phone schemes, he said that efforts were under way to ban SIM cards issued on fake ID cards to bolster security. For pre-paid service, Malik said, people submitted "wrong information" and all such connections were being rechecked. The minister said that there were still chances of terrorist attacks in various cities and all provincial governments had been directed to put their security on high alert.