The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has completed the first phase of a biometric re-verification process designed to link the country's entire population to their mobile phones to combat militancy.Launched on 12 January, the first stage has seen 72 million out of the country's 100 million SIM users verified against biometric-back Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs), which store fingerprint and facial data. Over 10 million SIMs have now been cancelled following the stage's completion.The second phase of biometric verification for individuals who have two SIMs issued on their CNICs, will begin from 27 February and last until 14 March.Biometric verification systems have been installed at 60,000 retail centres and 1,500 customer service centres and franchises of the five operators across the country, with thousands seen queing in recent weeks to get the process completed.The process was launched with the aim of tracking militants in the wake of a brutal attack by Pakistani Taliban militants on the army-run school in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that killed 150 people, mostly children.Note: Tariq Malik, former chairman of the National Database & Registration Authority of Pakistan, will be a speaker at the connect:ID event in Washington DC on 23rd – 25th March.

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