By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Zonal Office, Peshawar, in close collaboration with Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing Thursday conducted successful raids against a franchise of a mobile phone company and a gang involved in illegal SIM activations in Mingora, Barikot and Batkhela.
The franchisee and a gang found to be involved in the illegal issuance of SIMs that were also found to be used in grey trafficking and fraudulent activities, said a news release.
During the raids, 33 BVS devices, 6 laptops, 10 mobiles and 600 SIMs were seized as evidence. Ten persons were apprehended on the premises by FIA, which is currently investigating the matter further.
PTA had filed complaints with FIA earlier based on information regarding illegal issuance of SIMs by the sales channel. The raids signifies the Authority’s dedication to eradicate the illegal issuance of SIMs.
Earlier, The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has clarified that there has been no official decision to remove taxes on imported mobile phones in Pakistan, countering online reports suggesting otherwise.
In a recent statement, the PTA emphasized that while returning Pakistanis will be exempt from these taxes, non-PTA mobile users can temporarily register their devices by simply restarting them with a SIM card inserted.
This, however, is a provisional facility and does not signify a broader removal of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) taxes on handset registration.
The PTA outlined its role as verifying the technical standards of mobile devices for registration through the Device Identification, Registration, and Blocking System (DIRBS) after the payment of FBR taxes. It underscored that the responsibility for implementing and collecting these taxes lies with the FBR, not the PTA.
