Not a ‘smart’ move

In a high-profile meeting attended by representatives of law-enforcement agencies, mobile phone companies, intelligence agencies, and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, it was decided that a software programme will be developed to register smartphones along with subscriber identity module (SIM) so that whenever a complaint is received about its loss or theft, that phone gets blocked. It seems that the authorities don’t have a serious plan to minimise the snatching incidents. Making smartphones useless will not help in curbing this criminal activity.

Although a user’s data in his smartphone is of prime importance, snatchers are not really interested in operating the phone or reselling it. Nowadays, an LED screen of a smartphone costs a lot. Snatchers resell LED screens and make enough money for themselves. The authorities are requested to come up with a plan to put an end to this criminal activity. The primary step is to eradicate the crime, blocking phones is secondary.

Mubashir Mahmood

Karachi