Despite PTA’s Warning Top PPP Ministers Use Unverified SIMs

As we first unveiled the fact that the top government officials are using mobile connections with SIMs that are not in their names. Today, ‘The News’ carried this story which reveals similar details and says:

    Top PPP ministers Rehman Malik, Firdous Ashiq, Ahmed Mukhtar and Manzoor Wattoo are using unverified SIMs while the PTA launched third phase of SIM verification on Rehman Malik’s request.

    Rehman Malik’s number 03005559*** was issued to the ministry of interior while Firdous Ashiq Awan 03008511*** was issued to the ministry of population welfare, Ahmed Mukthar’s 03008467*** was issued to Amjad Hussain with CNIC 3540141062*** and Manzoor Wattoo’s number 03008419*** to AJ Communications.

    Sources in telecom industry revealed that there was a list of such numbers under use of cabinet members and leading politicians but are unverified and not issued to their names. However, commerce minister Amin Fahim number 03009221*** was issued to his name with CNIC 4230183689*** but the status was suspended.

Now these SIMs are registered with incomplete information, and does not comply with PTA rules.

According to (a letter No 15-9/2010/ENF/PTA issued by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority dated July 30, 2010, with subject “Issuance of bulk data SIMs to specified corporate customers”), PTA asked the cellular companies to provide user data including CNIC details of every individuals using corporate connections.

The letter stated that “procedure for issuance and activations of SIMs/connections to corporate customers has been made comprehensive by having control and checks on documentation for the corporate customers in regard to prepaid/postpaid and data SIMs.

The company is bound to provide details/documents including CNIC of each individual.”
The SIM would be issued on company name i.e. on title name would become company name while user data including CNIC and other details would also be provided and if the same SIM would be issued to someone else, the company would be bound to update the user data of new users.

It merits mentioning here that PTA is blocking all unverified SIMs on May 17th, that is, today. It is interesting to note that our top level government officials are lacking behind in getting their SIMs registered in their names. One may wonder what PTA will do to their SIMs after today.