FBR Unblocks Mobile SIMs of Over 100,000 Persons After Filing of Tax Returns

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has restored blocked mobile SIMs of 103,000 persons who filed tax returns, according to official documents. The documents further revealed that FBR has so far blocked 265,000 SIMs of non-filers of income tax returns. Back in May this year, FBR set up a Joint Working Group (JWG) of tax officials and telecom operators to enforce the Income Tax General Order (ITGO) No 1 of 2024 and streamline the process blockage of SIMs of non-filers. FBR had issued a list of 506,671 non-filers of income tax returns whose mobile phone SIMs were supposed to be blocked immediately by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and all telecom operators. Initially, PTA and telecom companies showed reluctance towards proceeding ahead with blocking SIMs but after multiple rounds of talks with FBR, telcos eventually agreed to block SIMs of non-filers in small batches.