Tech Desk 
Jul 28, 2025
In a significant move to promote digital payments, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government has decided that all electricity/ telephone/ gas bills will have QR codes embedded, thereby allowing payment through digital means.
In a high-level meeting presided over by the prime minister, which was attended by all the concerned ministries/ organisations, the decision on QR codes on the utility bills was made to encourage digital payments.
The prime minister will launch the Digital Payment Index Pakistan next month, for which the SBP governor and Karandaaz CEO are directed to make arrangements.
New targets for digital payments
The State Bank has been given fresh goals to help increase the use of digital payments. These include:
- Expanding QR code payment points from 0.5 million to 2 million
- Ensuring each active merchant completes at least one digital transaction per month
- Increasing mobile and internet banking users from 95 million to 120 million by FY26
- Extending the number of digital transactions to 15 billion from 7.5 billion
- Making 100% of remittances digital, compared to the current 80%
A team led by the Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Resources and comprising the Secretary Power, Secretary M/o IT&T and Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) will formulate the mechanism within a month.
The meeting also decided that Right of Way (RoW) charges will be eliminated beginning with CDA, NHA and Pakistan Railways.
CDA granting NOC/ approval to new housing societies is said to prescribe a condition that these societies will not impose any Right of Way for development/installation of IT and IT-related infrastructure /fiberisation.
Law and Justice Division to review legal instruments for implementation of this decision. The prime minister stated that this shall serve as a model for provincial governments to adopt, for which consensus will be developed.
