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The federal government has announced a major crackdown on unverified mobile connections, with plans to block nearly 5 million SIMs issued against expired or canceled CNICs.
The action is being taken on the recommendation of NADRA and is being executed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) under the Ministry of Interior’s directive.
Official data reveals that 4,906,611 SIMs are currently active on CNICs that have either expired or belong to deceased individuals. These SIMs will be blocked in phases, based on the year of CNIC expiry, starting June 30, 2025.
In the first phase, SIMs associated with CNICs that expired in 2017 will be blocked by June 30, 2025. Those tied to CNICs that lapsed in 2018 and 2019 will be deactivated by July 31 and August 31, respectively.
The operation will continue monthly, with SIMs registered to CNICs expiring in 2020, 2021, and 2022 being blocked by September 30, October 31, and November 30. Finally, all SIMs linked to CNICs that expired in 2023, 2024, and 2025 will be deactivated by December 31, 2025.
Officials believe the campaign will significantly enhance national digital security by ensuring that only verified users have access to telecom services.
The Ministry of Interior has urged all users to update their records immediately, warning that unregistered or outdated identity details could result in SIM deactivation.
