Following orders of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has discontinued roaming facilities on Afghan Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) in Pakistan, in an effort to block anti-state and criminal activities of terrorists.
The directive was issued on the request of law enforcement agencies, which informed the government that Afghan SIMs were being openly used inside tribal areas in Pakistan by terrorists and criminal elements.
The move would be a step towards halting communication among terrorists and would also help in reducing crimes related to kidnapping for ransom in tribal areas.