ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is exploring facial and iris recognition for SIM registration as officials warn that the existing fingerprint system is vulnerable to fraud and data theft. The move comes after authorities blocked 18.2 million illegal SIMs in the past two and a half years.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry told a National Assembly committee Thursday that the existing biometric system had failed to fully prevent identity and financial fraud despite the ongoing crackdown on illegal SIM cards.
Officials from the Interior Ministry, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency and State Bank of Pakistan called for stronger safeguards to protect personal data and prevent criminals from exploiting mobile connections.
PTA Chairman retired Maj. Gen. Hafeezur Rehman said scammers were obtaining fingerprints from places including airports, driving license centers and passport offices, with possible access to information held by the National Database and Registration Authority, or NADRA. He said criminals were bypassing safeguards used to verify customers when SIM cards are issued.
NCCIA Director Irfanullah Khan told the committee that criminals were exploiting gaps in the system to operate scam networks. The agency has seized 195 active SIM cards and 81 ATM cards allegedly used by scammers. The NCCIA and PTA also raided 110 facilities, blocked 29,000 illegal SIM cards and arrested 171 suspects.
During the operations, authorities recovered data belonging to about 600,000 people, underscoring the scale of personal information being exploited by criminal networks.
Chaudhry also raised concerns about the growing use of rented or so-called mule bank accounts to move and launder proceeds from scams. He called on telecom companies to strengthen their security measures in coordination with the PTA to prevent mobile connections from being used in financial crimes.
The PTA chairman proposed issuing SIM cards exclusively through NADRA’s PAK-ID system, which could add another layer of identity verification. An SBP official suggested linking each SIM card to a single International Mobile Equipment Identity, or IMEI, number, potentially making it more difficult for criminals to move SIMs between multiple devices.
MNA Khawaja Izharul Hassan proposed automatic SMS alerts whenever more than one SIM card is issued against a citizen’s computerized national identity card, or CNIC. Such notifications could help people quickly identify unauthorized registrations and report them to authorities.
The committee directed the Interior Ministry to bring together the SBP, PTA, NCCIA and telecom operators to develop legislative, regulatory and technical measures to curb illegal SIM registrations and strengthen cybersecurity.
The discussion comes as authorities face increasing concerns over the use of illegally obtained SIM cards, stolen personal information and mule accounts in scams and other financial crimes. Officials said stronger identity verification, improved data security and closer coordination among government agencies, regulators and telecom operators will be needed to close gaps that criminals continue to exploit.
