Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday confessed that leakage of passenger’s data was used for illegal registration of mobile devices (through DIRBS) with connivance of travel agents and the data available at airports.
PTA has sent 750 cases of data theft to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and several arrests have been made so far, revealed Member Compliance & Enforcement PTA Dr Khawar Siddique while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication.
The committee met with Rubina Khalid in the chair where the misuse of passengers’ data acquired during the process of mobile registration was discussed.
The committee was told by PTA that the leakage of passenger’s data acquired during the process of mobile registration is being misused with connivance of travel agents and the data available at airport.
The Committee, however, observed that mobile phones are also being registered in the names of children and it cannot happen without the involvement of internal resources.
The Committee strongly proposed having a fool proof system in place to ensure the security of data before hand and then putting up such system available to the public.
The Committee members remarked that the system was launched to curb smuggling but it has done less good and more problems for customers.
The PTA official told the meeting that mobile registration system has become totally automated and the system has been integrated with FBR and is highly secure.
The Committee, however, did not buy the argument that the system is causing any inconvenience. The Committee members said that smuggling is there because there is no mobile phone manufacturing industry in the country and phones are being smuggled in huge numbers till date.
The Committee members also said that the committee has not been given any numbers relating to DIRBS.
The PTA told the committee that 663,622 individual users registered themselves with DIRBS since February, 2019. Out of these 440,821 were registered under FBR baggage rule exemption with no tax, 12,293 were registered under duty paid category.
It was told that that against 5.89 million commercial mobile phone importers in first four months of 2016, an increase to 9.27 million commercially imported phones were registered during the same period of 2019.
The Committee observed that the system put in place by PTA and FBR is not properly publicized in public and decided to call FBR and FIA in next meeting to brief the committee on the system in addition to a briefing by PTA.
PTA officials informed the committee that the misuse of data is being done in violation of FRB baggage rule law where user credentials including passport and CNIC are being used for getting registration under FBR baggage rule exemption.
While discussing the matter of the nominal cost (of around Rs. 2,000) being taken by shopkeepers to register smuggled smartphones, the member PTA told the committee that this is happening due to same misuse of passenger’s information which is sold to these shopkeepers who then use the passengers’ details to register smuggled phones. He said that PTA on receiving complaints refers the inquiry to FIA.
IMEI cloning is also being done where a fake device is reprogrammed with a PTA complaint IMEI. Under Prevention of Electronic Crime Act (PECA 2017) rule 18, which is an offense and can be punished with imprisonment which may extend to 3 years or with fine which may extend to one million rupees or with both.
The meeting was attended among others by Senators Kalsoom Parveen, Rukhsana Zuberi, Faisal Javed, Ghous Muhammad Niazi, Abdur Rehman Malik, Mian Ateeq Shaikh, Taj Afridi, Joint Secretary IT Taimur Khan and Member PTA Khawar Siddique.
What kind of banana republic is this? I know, the worse kind.
And PTA is surprised over this? People are tired of new taxes that keep increasing everyday. Their salaries aren’t increasing as much and the taxes just keep rising. PTA’s DIRBS registration charges are insanely expensive especially for high end sets. What else are people supposed to do?
While the world is moving towards better technologies we’re still stuck in 1980s with this backward mentality of our authorities.
Valid point about salaries but why do people have to buy a high end set if they are concerned about their salaries? A high end set is let’s accept it, a luxury and those who buy it CAN afford to pay the tax but won’t pay it.
normally ask their friends and family to get them inexpensive phones from overseas….
Not everyone who buy high end phones can pay the taxes don’t generalize. Let’s assume if person has saved up money to buy high end he doesn’t have money to pay taxes
There are some of us who, instead of buying a low end or midrange set every 1-2 year, buy a high end set because it lasts us 5-7 years. Not everyone who buys a high end set is the son of an oil tycoon and taxes in excess of 50k on these sets are completely ridiculous.
This happened to me today. Somehow, someone has used the details I was suppose to use and I am unable to register the device now.
I was trying to register phone on PTA official page nd it says your passport already have been used what the hell i was travelling first time to pakistan since came in canada i brought phone for my wife which was marriage gift lol i bought legally paid tax from canada nd as per law i can bring 1 phone which was suppose to be free when it went didnt go through to register free device i got frustrated nd agreed to pay 3 per tax on it when my wife sees the custom duty tax on it she was shocked she had 51 thousand tax on it even phone wasnt worth that much now PTA blocked it nd humiliate us with no reason this is so bad to treat overseas like this very unfortunate.
Overseas aasmaan say utartay hain kya. This is our country, like it or stay wherever you are….
Topi Drama
Same thing happened with my wife. Someone used her passport number and NIC to register scam device whereas when she tried to register her own phone they asked for duty of Rs. 30,000 of the phone which itself is worth of 25000.
500 different tareeke k taxes lagao ge to yehi kare gi awam.
2000 per set lelo. har banda khushi se legal karwae ga set.
New frauds of Naya Pakistan….
This policy has given more of a hassle to general public who are traveling most of the time just to curb just 0.5 million phone. Govt should focus on rest 5.5 million phones smuggled into our country.
Data theft of travelers from airports, immigration and FIA offices should be stopped and punishment should be given to these corrupt officers who are leaking this data.
Dirbs should be put to an immediate end may Senator Rubina Khalid lead this case to an end
I am trying to register myself in PTA portal and it says that my passport is already registered….kindly guide me what should i do. I tried to contact PTA but nobody answered my calls.
PTA is run by idots who have no brain…
I’m in Canada i m planning to visit Islamabad next week how i can register my phone can some one explain the procedure.