PTA Announces New Time Limit for Disowning Newly Activated SIMs

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced stricter security measures aimed at preventing illegal SIM issuance and unauthorized mobile registrations across the country. Under the revised policy, the SIM disowning period has been extended from 60 days to 365 days.

According to the PTA, the decision has been taken as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen safeguards within the telecom sector and to ensure greater protection of citizens’ personal information. The authority stated that any newly activated SIM can now only be disowned after one year from the date of activation.

The telecom regulator has advised citizens to exercise extreme caution while providing biometric verification for obtaining SIM cards. Officials warned that misuse of biometric data can lead to unauthorized SIM registrations, which may create legal and security complications for individuals.

To improve transparency and help users monitor their mobile connections, the PTA has encouraged the public to regularly check the number of SIMs registered against their Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC).

Citizens can verify their registered SIMs by visiting the official SIM information portal or by sending their CNIC number without dashes via SMS to 668.

The PTA further directed citizens to immediately report any suspicious or unauthorized SIM registration to their respective mobile operators. The authority emphasized that only personally used SIMs should be registered against an individual’s CNIC and urged the public to remain vigilant to help prevent misuse of mobile connections.