The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked 18.2 million illegal SIMs and imposed penalties worth Rs4.2 billion on cellular mobile operators as part of a crackdown on fake fingerprints, unauthorised SIM-sale device movement and misuse of biometric verification.
The regulator, working with cellular mobile operators (CMOs), has introduced a set of new controls to curb illegal SIM issuance. SIM-sale devices have been geofenced within 100 metres of designated sale locations to prevent unauthorised movement, while the Live Finger Detection feature has been enhanced to block SIM issuance through fake fingerprints made from paper, silicon and nylon.
Access to SIM-sale devices has been restricted to a maximum of two users per device to establish accountability in cases of illegal issuance. SIM sales are now prohibited between midnight and 6am, and the SIM disowning period has been extended from 60 to 365 days.
Between January 2024 and August 2026, the PTA conducted 90 raids in 40 cities across Pakistan targeting illegal Pakistani SIM operations, seizing more than 29,346 SIMs, 234 biometric devices and 602,000 paper-based digital fingerprints. The raids led to 134 arrests.
In a parallel crackdown on international SIMs, PTA teams worked with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to carry out 25 raids over the same period, arresting 37 people and confiscating more than 8,000 international SIMs.
Of the 18.2 million illegal SIMs blocked, 7.9 million were identified through pattern-based blocking, 2.1 million belonged to Afghan ACC/POR card holders, and 8.2 million were linked to cancelled, impounded, deceased or expired CNICs.
On the enforcement side, the PTA issued 48 show-cause notices to cellular operators, resulting in 39 enforcement orders carrying financial penalties, while four cases were closed with warnings. Ufone (PTML) was fined Rs1.87 billion, Jazz (PMCL) Rs1.36 billion, Zong (CMPak) Rs580 million and Telenor Pakistan Rs390 million. The Islamabad High Court and the Telecom Tribunal have granted stays in cases involving these penalties.
