ISLAMABAD, July 3 (Alliance News): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday emphasized the urgent need to implement a digital transaction system across Pakistan, calling it essential for enhancing transparency, expanding the tax base, and modernizing the national economy.
He made these remarks while chairing a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister’s House to review progress on the country’s transition toward a cashless and digital economy.
The prime minister said that promoting digital payments was critical to reducing reliance on cash, simplifying transactions between citizens and businesses, and integrating Pakistan into the global digital financial ecosystem.
“The sooner we reduce the cash economy and shift to a digital framework, the more transparent and inclusive our economic system will become,” he said.
He stressed the importance of raising public awareness about the benefits of digital systems and simplifying processes to increase adoption. “We need to make digital payments easy, secure, and accessible, particularly for small traders and businesses,” he added.
Following up on previous discussions, the meeting was briefed on the work of three newly constituted committees: the Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption Committee, the Digital Public Infrastructure Committee, and the Government Payments Committee.
These committees are tasked with accelerating digitization, improving infrastructure, and ensuring stakeholder engagement at all levels of implementation.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), in collaboration with the committees, is developing a simplified framework to boost digital adoption among merchants.
A new incentive package will soon be introduced to encourage small business owners to adopt digital payment systems and transition from cash transactions.
During the briefing, the prime minister was informed of ambitious targets already set under the digitization drive.
These include increasing the number of mobile app users for digital payments from the current 95 million to 120 million, and expanding the network of QR code-using merchants from 0.9 million to 2 million. The total volume of digital payments is projected to grow from Rs 7.5 billion to Rs 12 billion.
However, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, showing dissatisfaction with the scale of ambition, directed that all targets be doubled.
“This is a digital revolution, not a routine reform. We must think bigger, act faster, and deliver better,” he said, urging the relevant ministries and departments to work in sync to achieve the revised goals.
The meeting also reviewed the “Digital National Pakistan” initiative aimed at expanding the country’s digital economy infrastructure.
Under this initiative, the Islamabad City mobile application has emerged as a flagship success, with 1.3 million downloads and over Rs 15.5 billion collected through it under Islamabad Capital Territory’s Excise and Taxation department.
Progress on the Digital Pakistan ID project was also discussed, alongside the upcoming launch of e-stamping services in Islamabad. These efforts are expected to simplify government services, reduce paperwork, and curtail corruption in documentation processes.
Additionally, the meeting reviewed progress on expanding internet connectivity across public spaces in the federal capital.
The government is working to provide Wi-Fi internet services at hospitals, schools, government offices, parks, and along metro bus lines.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed that these digital services must not remain confined to Islamabad. He instructed the Ministry of IT and other concerned departments to roll out these facilities across all federal areas, including Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
“This digital transformation must be inclusive and nationwide. No region should be left behind,” he asserted.
The meeting was attended by key members of the federal cabinet and senior government officials, including Minister for Information Technology and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, and Prime Minister’s Advisor on Strategic Reforms Dr. Tauqir Shah.
The prime minister reiterated that the government is committed to transforming Pakistan into a digitally empowered nation.
“Our aim is to eliminate bottlenecks, reduce corruption, improve service delivery, and empower our citizens through technology,” he said.
As Pakistan accelerates its journey toward becoming a cashless economy, the government believes digital inclusion will be a powerful tool to foster financial inclusion, formalize the informal economy, and unlock new avenues of growth.
The successful implementation of these digital initiatives is expected to serve as a cornerstone for Pakistan’s long-term economic stability and global competitiveness.
