ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan extended on Tuesday the deadline for biometric verification of cellphone SIMs till May 15.

He took the decision at a meeting with chief executive officers of the five cellphone companies operating in Pakistan.He said the previous government had started the process of verification of SIMs, but it remained incomplete after several deadlines.

The minister said unverified and illegal SIMs had been cited as a major reason for crimes and terrorist activities in the country.

The minister told cellular operators that the government wanted to secure their investment and the verification process was in their own interest.