Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has requested the rapid implementation of a digital transaction system throughout the country and said it is essential to guarantee transparency and modernize Pakistan’s economy.
By chairing a weekly meeting on the development of a digital and without effective economy at the Prime Minister’s office on Thursday, Shehbaz emphasized the need to facilitate digital payments between citizens and companies, and promote the public awareness of digital platforms.
“The digital system is vital to improve transparency and must be implemented throughout the country,” he said.
He directed the three Committees recently formed by the Innovation and Adoption of Digital Payments, the Digital Public Infrastructure Committee and the Government Payment Committee to collaborate closely with the interested parties and present processable recommendations.
The digital system is vital to improve transparency and must be implemented throughout the country
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
The Prime Minister was informed that the State Bank of Pakistan is preparing a simplified digital payment strategy to incorporate more merchants and expand mobile adoption.
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The objectives include the increase in mobile applications users from 95 million to 120 m, and the number of merchants who use 0.9Ma 2m QR codes. The total volume of digital payments is expected to grow from 7.5 billion to RS12B.
Shehbaz instructed that these objectives should double to accelerate progress.
The officials reported the meeting that the “Digital National Pakistan” initiative is underway, and the mobile application of Islamabad City has already registered discharges of 1.3 million. Through the application, RS15.5b has been collected under the Department of Special Taxes and ICT taxes.
The government is also advancing in the Pakistan Digital Identification Project and electronic print services will soon be launched in Islamabad.
There are plans to extend free Wi-Fi services in Islamabad in hospitals, schools, offices, parks and subway stations.
Shehbaz ordered that these digital services extend to federal areas, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The meeting was attended by the Minister for you and Telecom Shaza Fatima, Minister of Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, Advisor Dr. Tauqir Shah and Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, along with other senior officials.
