PM urges swift rollout of digital payments to boost transparency
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for the rapid implementation of a nationwide digital transaction system and said that it is essential to ensure transparency and modernise Pakistan's economy.
Chairing a weekly meeting on the development of a cashless and digital economy at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday, Shehbaz emphasised on the need to facilitate digital payments between citizens and businesses, and to promote public awareness of digital platforms.
'The digital system is vital to improve transparency and must be implemented countrywide,' he said.
He directed the three newly formed committees the Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption Committee, the Digital Public Infrastructure Committee and the Government Payments Committee to collaborate closely with stakeholders and submit actionable recommendations.
The digital system is vital to improve transparency and must be implemented countrywide
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
The prime minister was briefed that the State Bank of Pakistan is preparing a simplified digital payment strategy to onboard more merchants and expand mobile adoption.
Read: Cashless economy a necessity for fiscal resilience: FinMin
Targets include increasing mobile app users from 95 million to 120m, and the number of merchants using QR codes from 0.9m to 2m. The total volume of digital payments is projected to grow from Rs7.5 billion to Rs12b.
Shehbaz instructed that these targets should be doubled to accelerate progress.
Officials informed the meeting that the 'Digital National Pakistan' initiative is underway, and the Islamabad City mobile app has already recorded 1.3m downloads. Through the app, Rs15.5b has been collected under the ICT excise and taxation department.
The government is also advancing the Digital Pakistan ID project and e-stamping services will soon launch in Islamabad.
Plans are in place to extend free Wi-Fi services across Islamabad in hospitals, schools, offices, parks and metro stations.
Shehbaz directed that these digital services be extended to federal areas, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The meeting was attended by Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, Advisor Dr Tauqir Shah and Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, along with other senior officials.
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