NAVEED BUTT

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed that the government is giving top priority to digitising the economy and shifting financial transactions towards a cashless, digital system.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Sunday, chaired a high-level meeting on the transition towards a cashless and digital economy and expressed satisfaction over the progress made so far.

The prime minister emphasised that the government is working on a priority basis to digitise the economy and shift financial transactions to a cashless system.

He directed all chief secretaries to extend full cooperation with the federal government in expanding the Raast payment system to the district level.

During the meeting, officials briefed the prime minister on measures taken towards a cashless economy. It was informed that under the Pakistan Digital Public Infrastructure initiative, digital IDs will be introduced containing citizens’ national identity card details, biometrics, and mobile phone numbers. These digital IDs will enable secure digital payments.

The briefing further highlighted that provincial governments have made significant progress in linking government-to-public and public-to-government payments with the Raast system.

On infrastructure development, it was noted that the Federal Development Authority has granted right-of-way for fiber connectivity, while discussions are underway with Pakistan Railways and the National Highways Authority to further expand digital infrastructure.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik, Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Tauqeer Shah, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, along with senior government officials