Govt orders immediate blocking of SIMs issued on expired ID cards
Pakistan
Facial recognition technology to be implemented across the country by December 31
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The federal government has decided to immediately block all SIMs issued on expired ID cards.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reportedly visited the NADRA headquarters and chaired an important meeting where major decisions were made.
In the first phase, SIMs issued on ID cards from 2017 or earlier would be blocked, it was decided in a meeting.
It was also decided that in the next phases, the same policy would be applied to cancelled ID cards issued after 2017, so that SIMs would only be issued on active ID cards.
The Ministry of Interior said with the cooperation of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), these mobile SIMs registered in the names of deceased persons or holders of expired ID cards are being blocked.
During the meeting, it was also revealed that various government departments and service providers were storing citizens’ biometric data in their local databases, which puts this sensitive information at risk of misuse and theft.
The NADRA chairman said by utilizing secure and verified database, a facial recognition system should be implemented, especially to assist those citizens who face difficulties with fingerprint verification.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that instructions would be issued to all relevant agencies to stop the separate storage of citizens’ biometric data.
Naqvi instructed that facial recognition technology should be implemented across the country by Dec 31, 2025, and the Interior Ministry would oversee this process.
It was informed in the meeting that NADRA’s services had been expanded to 44 tehsils and specific union councils across the country where these facilities were previously unavailable.
The Interior Minister said NADRA services would be available in all 31 union councils of Islamabad by June 30, 2025. He emphasised the importance of providing better services to overseas Pakistanis and directed a comprehensive review in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to identify countries and regions where NADRA services are most needed.
The minister approved the establishment of NADRA regional offices in Multan, Sukkur, and Gwadar.
Earlier, Interior Minister Naqvi laid the foundation stone of a 10-storey NADRA mega centre in Sector I-8. The mega center is expected to be completed by June 2026.
