ISLAMABAD: The Pakis­tan Telecommunication Aut­ho­rity (PTA) on Thurs­day issued a warning to Sim owners to be responsible users and that all Sims must be registered in the user’s name.

In a statement, the telecom regulator has said that the use of Sims registered in another individual’s name is considered a violation of applicable regulations, and any misuse of a SIM shall be the sole responsibility of the registered user.

PTA further emphasised that consumers must ensure responsible use of their SIMs and telecommunications connections. Users shall be individually accountable for all calls, messages, and data usage made through their SIMs or devices.

Consumers are required to comply with all relevant rules and regulations, and failure to do so may result in necessary enforcement action in case of any violation.

The PTA has asked all telecom consumers to adopt responsible conduct and play an active and effective role in safeguarding the security, stability, and reliability of Pakistan’s telecommunications system.

This warning comes amid growing incidents of mobile-based financial fraud and cases of harassment. These incidents are burdening the redress mechanism, as in most cases the SIM owners were not involved in illegal activities.

In a population of over 250 million, around 196m SIMs have been issued in the country, signifying that a large number of people have several SIMs registered in their names.

Currently, a maximum of five voice SIMs and three data SIMs ownership is allowed under one CNIC for personal use, as per PTA regulations.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2025