The Islamabad High Court convened and issued a notice on a government's miscellaneous plea to lift the stay order on blocking mobile phone SIMs of tax non-filers.
The notice was issued on a government's miscellaneous application against the petition of a private mobile company.
Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan appeared before Chief Justice Aamir Farooq, who conducted the hearing, to present the government's case, emphasizing that notices have been regularly issued to non-filers since November 2023. He argued that the government wanted to have the stay order withdrawn.
During the hearing, the AGP assured the court that individuals with low incomes would not receive notices from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Chief Justice Farooq expressed concern over the effectiveness of blocking SIMs as a means of enforcement against tax evasion, questioning its impact on private companies.
The CJ remarked that the court had not ordered to not block the SIMs, but had stopped from taking action against a private company. "It is feared that the FBR will target everyone," he remarked.
The AGP said it was obvious that the tax filing rules would not apply to low-income individuals. The CJ said of course, ordinary labourers and stall holders will not be included in the tax net, to which the AGP said they would not even receive FIA notices.
Chief Justice Farooq further asked what will happen if a non-filer's children are using a SIM registered under his/her name and what a poor labourer who hasn't even gotten himself registered will do. He further said that the membership of the applicant company would have to be seen, as well as how many shares a Pakistani held in it.
The attorney general further requested the court to dismiss the stay order. The CJ said the court could issue a notice, asserting that the primary case is scheduled for May 27. The court issued notices on the government's miscellaneous request and sought responses by May 22.
