Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered authorities to draw up a time-bound plan for moving Pakistan to a fully digital payments system, the government said on Friday. Officials told a high-level meeting he chaired that cheque-based payments through Asaan Assignment Accounts will stop on November 15.
From November 16, those payments will shift to the Raast digital payment system across the country. The government said most federal and provincial institutions would digitise all payments by December, and the meeting was told that Benazir Income Support Programme payments are now made through digital wallets.
Ministries told to speed up the cashless economy plan
Shehbaz directed all ministries and government institutions to carry out the cashless economy plan in full and to resolve problems faced by digital payment users without delay. He also asked relevant authorities to present clear targets and a timeline for a system where 100 per cent of payments are digital.
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He said expanding the cashless economy is among the government’s key priorities. According to the prime minister, efforts by the finance ministry and other state institutions were beginning to produce positive results.
QR codes and media push for utility bill payments
Shehbaz asked the government to keep backing the Raast QR code scheme that links consumers and merchants, saying it advances the cashless vision. He also ordered an effective media campaign to encourage electricity and gas consumers to pay using QR codes printed on their bills.
Digital payments planned for areas without internet
The meeting was told that work is under way on a modern digital payment system that could operate in areas without internet access. Infrastructure to expand internet connectivity nationwide is also being developed.
The government said digitisation across federal and provincial institutions is progressing rapidly, with most expected to complete the transition by December 2026. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani and State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad attended, along with other federal ministers, provincial chief secretaries and senior officials.
