PM Shehbaz stresses need for Digitization in Pakistan’s economy

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the government is giving top priority to digitising Pakistan’s economy and moving towards a cashless system.

Chairing a meeting on Sunday about the cashless economy, the prime minister directed all provincial chief secretaries to fully support the federal government in expanding the Raast digital payment system to districts across the country.

PM Shehbaz said he was satisfied with the progress made so far in shifting towards digital payments and a cashless economy.

Officials briefed the meeting that Pakistan will build a digital public infrastructure to create digital IDs for every citizen. These IDs will link national identity cards, biometrics, and mobile phone numbers, making payments safer and faster.

Officials informed the meeting that provincial governments have made good progress in connecting government-to-people and people-to-government payments with the Raast system.

To improve connectivity, federal agencies have allowed the laying of fiber cables, while talks with Pakistan Railways and the National Highway Authority are underway to expand the digital network further.

The prime minister had earlier formed a high-level committee, headed by himself, to speed up work on the cashless economy. The committee will meet every week to review progress and new steps.

PM Shehbaz said that digitising the economy is one of the government’s main reform goals. He instructed the government to encourage digital transfers and payments through supportive policies. He also noted that the federal budget 2025–26 includes several measures to promote a cashless economy.

He added that the government is also working to discourage the informal economy and encourage people to use digital payments for shopping and money transfers.

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