The government has decided to restrict foreign national to two Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) per identity ((passport, POR, NARA etc) to avoid misuse and make SIMs re-verification process more co-ordinated under the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism and extremism.
Official sources revealed to Business Recorder that in a meeting of Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) officials it was conveyed that there would be a limit of two SIMs per ID (passport, POR, NARA etc.) for foreigners against individual category from now onwards. Officials, who attended the meeting, told this scribe that a separate procedure to be issued for cleaning/streamlining of previous SIMs issued against foreign IDs.
The participants also decided that un-verified SIMs of national customers falling between 365 days and 540 days in-active period are also included in the re-verification drive and the same shall be blocked, if not re-verified, after expiry of final deadline ie April 14, 2015. It was further decided that the BVS re-verification of all types of post-paid numbers shall be ensured by CMOs. Compliance of BVS on any new activity against postpaid numbers (new SIM sale, change of ownership, duplicate) be ensured.
PTA, which keept overseas Pakistanis and aged people in uncertainty for nearly two months, finally issued SOPs for SIM verification through Biometric Verification System (BVS). Overseas Pakistanis, who left their SIMs behind can get the ownership of these SIMs by changing to a blood relation who is in Pakistan. Such SIMs must be bought to franchise/service centers of respective operator with request for change in ownership; however the relatives would have to prove his/her relationship.
Mobile phone operators will prepare a list of numbers that are ACTIVE on intentional roaming. Mobile phone companies will carryout preliminary verification of the subscriber with Active Roaming services through USSD code or any other technique to assess genuineness of the subscriber. The verification shall include taking information such as CNIC, mother's name, place of birth, etc. and verifying the same by taking data from NADRA.
If verification is successful, CNIC number and SIM registered against it shall be tagged as "Temporarily Verified" for BVS Verification till return of CNIC holder to Pakistan. A deadline of 31st March 2016 shall be fixed for blocking of temporary verified SIMs, if not verified through BVS by that time. Mobile phone companies are directed to make sure that this facility is only applicable for subscribers operating on international roaming.
This facility (for temporarily verifying roaming customers) is not applicable for SIMs operating in Afghanistan. Pakistani SIMs on roaming in Afghanistan shall be verified through change in ownership or they will get blocked at the end of deadline. Customers who have active SIMs on international roaming do not have to do anything, just they need to make sure that their SIMs are active and switched on.
If a SIM that is not active with intentional roaming (because you probably lost your SIM or if you just do not use it any more) will be blocked after the deadline, ie on April 14th, 2015. This SIM can be unblocked after carrying out verification through BVS after subscriber return to Pakistan.