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PTA’s plans to re-verify country’s every single SIM via biometric authentication were met with criticism when they failed to address a number of problems. Overseas Pakistanis who own SIMs in Pakistan or abroad, elderly/handicapped SIM owners with no biometric data, and people with receded fingerprint impressions were chiefly among those who were left un cared for in devising the re-verification plans. Thankfully PTA took notice of these issues this month and ordered telecom companies via an SOP to take care of the matter.
Telenor, like other major telecom operators, recently announced the verification procedure for the SIM owners who reside outside Pakistan. Here are the complete relevant details for such subscribers.
In case when both SIM and SIM owner are outside Pakistan
If the SIM owner resides abroad and the SIM is also being used on international roaming outside Pakistan, following procedure can be used to get it verified:
- Visit PTA’s SIM Information System to check how many Telenor SIMs are issued on your CNIC.
- Download the Overseas Pakistanis System Information Form and fill it up with your verifiable data.
- Scan the duly filled form, your CNIC/NICOP (both sides), and valid visa/passport (to prove foreign residency), and send these scanned copies to [email protected].
- The Telenor numbers you mentioned in the form will be temporarily verified within 24 hours of your form’s reception. Any other numbers registered on you CNIC but not mentioned in the form will be blocked.
Remember: This temporary verification is only valid until March 31st, 2016. You must verify your SIM via bio-metric verification system (BVS) on your next visit to Pakistan before the deadline. Otherwise your SIM will be blocked after the deadline of March 2016.
In case when SIM owner is residing abroad but SIM is being used in Pakistan
If the SIM is being used in Pakistan but the person on whose CNIC it was issued resides abroad, then the SIM can be transferred to a family member of SIM owner in Pakistan. To change the ownership of such SIM, bring it to your nearest franchise or service center. The representatives at the franchise/SC will assist in the ownership transfer procedure after verifying and recording a proof of relation between current and new owner.
For subscribers of other networks
A similar procedure can be used to verify overseas SIMs for other network operators as well. Consult the respective guides for these telecom operators (Zong, Ufone, Warid, and Mobilink) or visit your nearest franchise for more details on this.
