Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed efforts to make digital transactions cheaper and more accessible to promote a cashless economy in the country. Chairing a meeting in Islamabad, he emphasized the need for a streamlined digital payment system to ensure economic transparency.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Prime Minister called for the formation of three committees: the Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption Committee, the Digital Public Infrastructure Committee, and the Government Payments Committee. These committees are tasked with submitting recommendations to facilitate payments and transactions between the public and businesses, as well as between the government and the private sector. Their objectives include creating awareness about the digital ecosystem, activating the Pakistan Digital Authority, and preparing a national digital master plan.

Additionally, the Prime Minister instructed the establishment of the Raast Digital Payment System at both federal and provincial levels. He highlighted the importance of a digital transaction system in maintaining economic transparency and directed that transactions between the public and private sectors should be cashless.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of establishing a cashless payment system in the country. It was reported that the Raast system currently benefits 40 million users, with ongoing efforts to expand this number. All financial transactions of the federal government are conducted through the Raast system, which is gradually being implemented in the provinces.

Furthermore, the meeting was informed that the Ministry of Information Technology is advancing the Smart Islamabad Pilot Project, aiming to make Islamabad the first cashless city in Pakistan.