IHC Halts Government’s Plan to Block SIMs of Non-Filers

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued a stay order preventing the government from blocking the SIMs of non-filers.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq issued the stay order, effective until May 27, while hearing a petition filed by a mobile phone company challenging the government’s decision to block the SIMs of non-filers.

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This decision came shortly after the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and telecom operators had agreed to block the SIMs of non-filers as part of the government’s efforts to reduce tax evasion and boost revenue amid challenging economic conditions.

The FBR had announced that telecom companies would begin manually blocking SIMs in small batches until their systems were fully capable of automating the process.

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