According to sources, the Sindh government requested the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday to disable the sims and social media accounts of unvaccinated mobile phone users.
The Sindh government sent a letter to the NCOC’s national coordinator informing him of the decision to ban mobile sims made during the Provincial Corona Task Force meeting, which was chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
The task team had suggested that sims be blocked in stages to stop COVID-19 dissemination, according to the NCOC. The government would issue a warning message first, followed by the blocking of social media accounts. Outgoing calls will be blocked in Phase III. The SIM will be totally disabled till the individual is vaccinated in the fourth step.
“It is, therefore, asked that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority be instructed to take all necessary measures in order to conduct a successful vaccination effort and break the COVID-19 transmission chain,” the letter says.
The Sindh Home Department issued a second notification ordering the closure of all public and private universities in the province till July 31.
The letter was issued a day after Murtaza Wahab, the Chief Minister’s Adviser, tweeted that the Sindh government has planned to write to the NCOC and PTA about banning the sims.
According to a spokeswoman for Sindh’s chief minister, the PTA would be ordered to send messages to telecom customers encouraging them to be vaccinated and to disconnect the sims of those who do not obtain the vaccine within a week.
The chief minister further stated that wages for government employees who have not been vaccinated shall be halted beginning next month.
