The Islamabad High Court has temporarily halted the federal government’s national SIM-blocking operation for more than 500,000 non-filers.
A notice has been given to the federal government, and the next hearing on the topic is planned for May 27, 2024.
IHC Chief Justice Aamir Fariiq imposed a restraining order in reaction to a writ petition brought by a major telecom provider.
The petitioner said that the tax regulator’s newfound jurisdiction infringed on the basic right to commercial freedom guaranteed by Article 18 of the Constitution. He argued that under this constitutional clause, the government does not have the authority to ban people’s phones and that it is coercive. The petitioner stated that if this rule is adopted, the government will be able to deprive individuals of services in other commercial fields as well.
This comes only days after major telecom carriers gave in to government pressure and decided to start manually barring SIMs in small batches until the procedure is fully automated.
