PTA warns users to update ID records or face SIM suspension

PTA clarified that once identity cards are renewed, users must immediately update their information with their respective mobile operators to ensure registration details remain valid.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has launched a public awareness campaign urging mobile users to update their identity records, warning that SIM cards registered against invalid, cancelled or expired identity documents will be blocked.

According to PTA, mobile numbers linked to inactive or expired computerised national identity cards issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) risk suspension under regulatory rules. The authority advised subscribers to renew their identity cards before expiry to avoid disruption in mobile services.

PTA clarified that once identity cards are renewed, users must immediately update their information with their respective mobile operators to ensure registration details remain valid. Only SIMs registered against verifiable identity documents will remain active, while those failing to update records may face service suspension.

The move follows directives from the interior ministry earlier this month, which instructed PTA to act on NADRA’s recommendations to curb misuse of mobile networks through fake or inactive identities.

A NADRA spokesperson said that 4,906,611 SIMs would be blocked in phases, targeting IDs that had not been renewed or belonged to deceased individuals. The spokesperson added that the initiative aims to “enhance national security and strengthen the digital ecosystem by making it more secure and reliable.”