ZULFIQAR AHMAD

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday issued a bold directive to double national targets for digital payments, signalling a determined push to fast-track country’s shift towards a cashless economy.

The prime minister while chairing a weekly meeting on the digital and cashless economy, underscored digital transactions as crucial to enhancing economic transparency.

He stressed the urgent need to boost public awareness and streamline payment systems for both citizens and businesses.

Briefing the prime minister, officials revealed plans to increase mobile app users making digital payments from 95 million to 120 million, while QR code-enabled merchants are set to rise from 900,000 to 2 million.

The volume of digital transactions, currently at Rs7.5 billion, is expected to soar to Rs12 billion but Sharif demanded these figures be doubled.

The meeting also confirmed the formal establishment of three key committees tasked with driving digital transformation: the Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption Committee, the Digital Public Infrastructure Committee, and the Government Payments Committee. Each presented comprehensive strategies aimed at accelerating digitisation across the economy.

Officials informed the meeting that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is crafting a strategy to simplify digital payments for traders, including plans to roll out a user-friendly package to attract small businesses.

As part of the wider “Digital National Pakistan” initiative, a Digital Economy Project has been launched, aiming to lay the groundwork for a modern, tech-driven economic landscape.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad City App, which offers 15 public services, has already been downloaded 1.3 million times, generating Rs15.5 billion for the Islamabad Capital Territory’s Excise and Taxation Department.

Work is progressing on the Digital Pakistan ID Project and the introduction of e-stamping services in the capital. Efforts to provide free Wi-Fi in hospitals, schools, government offices, parks, and along Metro Bus routes are underway, with directives to expand these facilities across Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers and senior officials, including IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, State Minister for Finance Bilal Kayani, and the PM’s Advisor Dr Tauqir Shah.