The Islamabad High Court has restrained the government from blocking mobile phone SIM cards that do not pay tax. Chief Justice Amir Farooq ordered the shutdown on May 27 in response to the demand of private mobile companies.
Advocate Salman Akram Raja, representing a private mobile phone company, told the court that the proposed amendment violated the fundamental right to freedom of action guaranteed under Article 18 of the Constitution. He said that no law can be made which is contrary to the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.
Raja further stated that the government cannot take away the right of individuals to block their mobile phone SIM by changing the law. He pointed to the potential economic consequences, saying blocking more than 500,000 SIMs each year could cost cell phone companies $1 billion.
The Islamabad High Court’s decision to issue the ban order marks a significant development in the ongoing legal battle between the government and private mobile phone companies.
