Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transforming Pakistan into a cashless and digital economy, stressing that digitisation of financial transactions remains a top priority.
Chairing a high-level review meeting in Islamabad, the prime minister expressed satisfaction with progress made so far and directed provincial chief secretaries to extend full cooperation in implementing the Raast digital payment system at the district level.
Officials briefed the meeting that Pakistan’s upcoming Digital Public Infrastructure will introduce digital IDs combining citizens’ national identity cards, biometrics, and mobile numbers, ensuring secure and efficient financial transactions. Provincial governments have already begun linking government-to-public and public-to-government payments with Raast.
The meeting also noted that all federal financial transactions are now routed through the Raast system, which currently serves over 40 million users nationwide. Work is underway to further expand its reach across provinces.
To strengthen connectivity, federal development agencies have approved right-of-way for fibre optic expansion, while discussions with Pakistan Railways and the National Highway Authority are ongoing to build a stronger digital backbone.
The prime minister was also briefed on three specialised committees formed earlier to promote a cashless economy: the Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption Committee, the Digital Public Infrastructure Committee, and the Government Payments Committee.
Highlighting the role of fintech, Shehbaz Sharif said the transition to digital systems would not only make transactions more secure and transparent but also accelerate economic growth and fiscal resilience.
The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahsan Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, IT Minister Shaza Fatima, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervez Malik, Adviser Dr. Tauqir Shah, and other senior officials.
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