ISLAMABAD: The government has decided the immediate suspension of all SIM cards registered with expired identity cards, starting with those linked to CNICs issued in 2017 or before in the initial phase.
The policy will extend to SIMs registered against cancelled CNICs issued after 2017 in subsequent phases.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting headed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) headquarters in Islamabad.
The meeting, attended by Minister of the State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and senior officials of Nadra, also decided that only the SIMs registered with active identity cards will remain valid.
Nadra chairman briefed the officials on the organisation’s progress in expanding access, improving service delivery, and advancing digital transformation.
The meeting was told that 87 new registration centres and 417 additional counters were opened nationwide and the federal government approved key amendments to the National Identity Card Rules 2002.
The Nadra chairman said that the facial recognition system will support citizens who face difficulties with fingerprint verification.
He said that the SIMs registered to deceased individuals or expired identity cards will also be blocked immediately.
The Nadra chief highlighted that citizens’ biometric data is being secured in local databases. This data remains vulnerable to misuse and theft, he said, while urging the use of NADRA’s secure and verified databases for facial recognition technology.
While addressing the meeting Naqvi, who is coordinating closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Nadra services had been expanded to 44 tehsils and union councils where facilities were previously unavailable. All 31 union councils of Islamabad are expected to have Nadra services by 30 June, he added.
He instructed a comprehensive review to identify countries and regions where Nadra services are most needed. He also approved the establishment of new regional Nadra offices in Multan, Sukkur, and Gwadar.
Moreover, the minister ordered the termination of separate biometric data storage by related agencies and mandated that facial recognition technology be implemented across the country by 31 December 2025. The Ministry of Interior will oversee the process, he added.
On the occasion, Naqvi laid the foundation stone for a 10-storey Nadra Mega Centre in Sector I-8, Islamabad. The new facility is expected to be completed by June 2026.
