The Islamabad High Court has stopped the PTA from blocking the SIMs of non-filers. The court issued a stay order until May 27 on a petition filed by a private mobile company. Salman Akram Raja appeared in court on behalf of the private mobile phone company. The lawyer argued that it is contrary to the fundamental right of business freedom enshrined in Article 18 of the Constitution.
Read more: FBR imposes 90 pc tax on mobile recharge for non-filers
The move follows a recent agreement between the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and telecom operators to block the SIM cards of non-filers, as part of the government’s efforts to curb tax evasion and boost revenue amid challenging economic conditions.
The FBR stated that telecom companies have agreed to begin manually blocking SIMs in small batches until their systems are fully capable of automating the process.
More to follow
