On Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) intervened, halting the government's plan to deactivate SIM cards belonging to individuals who haven't filed taxes. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq issued a stay order until May 27, responding to a petition filed by a mobile phone company challenging the government's decision. This development follows recent discussions between the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and telecom operators, where an agreement was reached to deactivate SIMs of non-filers as part of efforts to combat tax evasion and bolster revenue amid economic challenges. The FBR stated that while the process of manually blocking SIMs has begun in small batches, telecom operators are still working on automating the process. The first batch of 5,000 non-filers has been identified, with more to follow on a daily basis.

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