The Pakistani government has been trying to cut down the use of smartphones that are not registered with the PTA so that illegal phones can be blocked in the country. As part of those measures, the government introduced new rules through which people can only bring limited phones on one passport and only the first phone will have the free registration option. For more phones, people will have to pay taxes to the government. But now it looks as if there are some cases where fake registration of phones is being done in order to avoid the taxes to be paid on it.
But the government has decided not to play with loose hands as FIA has announced that anyone found in fake registration of smartphones will be given 7 years of imprisonment. The authority has already started arresting the shopkeepers involved in doing fake registration along with the PTA. The news is a big one for the mobile phone markets where people usually go to get their phones unlocked after paying a certain amount and then these phones can be easily used in Pakistan. But with the new enforcement, it looks like a difficult thing to do.
The use of non-compliant devices is illegal in Pakistan and if anyone tries to manipulate the credentials of international travelers to register phones, will be given 7 years of imprisonment. A fine of up to Rs. 10 million is also suggested for manipulation. The strict measure taken by the FIA and PTA shows that the government is keeping to ban all non-compliant phones in the country and only those phones will work that will have the compliant status. This will also put an end to the black market where people were paying from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 8,000 in order to get their phones registered.
