Pakistan to shift Asaan Assignment Account payments to Raast from Nov 16

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed authorities to draw up a time-bound roadmap for moving Pakistan towards a fully digital payments system, as the government said most federal and provincial institutions would digitise all payments by December.

Officials told a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister that cheque-based payments through Asaan Assignment Accounts would end on November 15, with all such payments to shift to the Raast digital payment system nationwide from November 16.

The meeting was also told that all payments under the Benazir Income Support Programme were now being made through digital wallets.

Shehbaz directed all ministries and government institutions to ensure full implementation of the government’s cashless economy plan and asked authorities to immediately address problems faced by users of digital payment systems.

He also ordered relevant authorities to present clear targets and a timeline for establishing a 100 per cent digital payments system in the country.

The prime minister said expanding the cashless economy was among the government’s key priorities and said efforts by the finance ministry and other state institutions were beginning to produce positive results.

Shehbaz directed the government to continue supporting a scheme promoting digital payments between consumers and merchants through Raast QR codes, saying the system was helping advance the government’s cashless economy vision.

He also ordered an effective media campaign to encourage electricity and gas consumers to use QR codes printed on their utility bills to make payments.

The meeting was told that work was under way to introduce a modern digital payment system that could function in areas without internet access, while infrastructure to expand internet connectivity across the country was also being developed.

The government said work on digitising payments across federal and provincial institutions was progressing rapidly, with most institutions expected to complete the transition by December 2026.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad, other federal ministers, provincial chief secretaries and senior officials attended the meeting.