Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued a formal directive banning the sale of SIM cards between 12 AM and 6 AM at all authorised outlets across the country, in a move aimed at preventing the illegal issuance of mobile connections and tightening oversight of Pakistan’s SIM distribution ecosystem. The directive has been communicated to all Cellular Mobile Operators through an official press release, with instructions to enforce the timing restriction at every authorised sales point nationwide with immediate effect. The measure represents one of the more operationally specific regulatory interventions PTA has introduced in its ongoing effort to bring greater accountability to the SIM sales and activation process.
All franchisees and retailers operating under licensed telecom networks are now legally bound to follow the prescribed timing rules without exception, and violations of these directives will result in strict legal and regulatory action under the applicable telecom laws in Pakistan and existing compliance regulations. The six-hour nightly window has been identified by the regulator as a period during which oversight of retail sales points is reduced and the risk of unauthorised or fraudulent SIM issuance is correspondingly higher. By restricting sales to daytime and evening hours, PTA aims to ensure that all SIM transactions take place within a timeframe that allows for adequate monitoring and compliance verification by operators and their franchise networks.
Biometric verification must be completed before any newly purchased SIM card is activated, as confirmed by the regulator as a mandatory security step, and citizens have been advised to purchase SIM cards only from authorised outlets and only during the permitted operational hours each day. The biometric verification requirement is not new, having been in place for several years as part of Pakistan’s effort to link every active SIM to a verified national identity, but its pairing with the new nighttime sales restriction adds a further layer of process control around when and how new connections can be initiated. PTA has also used the announcement to reinforce public awareness channels for reporting non-compliance. Citizens are encouraged to report any violations through PTA Complaint Management System, available via app, WhatsApp at 0315-0055055, or online, and complaints can also be submitted by calling the toll-free helpline 0800-55055, which remains available to all Pakistani citizens around the clock. The directive sits alongside PTA’s broader and increasingly active regulatory posture on SIM compliance, which has also recently included warnings about WhatsApp access being restricted for users whose accounts are linked to unverified or inactive SIM cards.
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