NADRA-Linked Mobile App Verification System Planned for 1.7 Million Pensioners in Pakistan

The federal government is moving ahead with plans to introduce an NADRA-linked mobile verification system for pensioners as part of broader efforts to digitize pension disbursement and improve transparency across Pakistan’s financial system.

According to officials familiar with the development, nearly 1.7 million pensioners nationwide are expected to be brought under the proposed digital verification framework, which will rely on biometric authentication and facial recognition technology before pension payments are released.

How does the new system work?

Under the planned system, pensioners will verify their proof-of-life status through the Pak ID app linked with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). Commercial banks will then authenticate pension eligibility through NADRA-integrated systems before processing monthly pension payments.

Sources said the State Bank of Pakistan has been requested to direct all commercial banks to integrate their infrastructure with NADRA’s verification platforms to enable automated pension validation nationwide.
Officials revealed that the system will utilize NADRA’s Proof of Life Certificate (POLC) and Family Registration Certificate (FRC) databases for identity confirmation and eligibility checks.

Banks across Pakistan will also be required to connect their branches with NADRA’s “Nishan Pakistan” API system and the e-Sahulat platform to facilitate real-time verification before pension disbursement.

The initiative is being implemented under earlier policy directives issued by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as part of the government’s wider digital governance and public sector modernization agenda.

According to officials, several components of the policy have already been implemented, while technical integration between banking systems and NADRA infrastructure remains in process.

Once fully operational, the digital framework is expected to reduce manual verification procedures, improve transparency in pension management, and ensure pension payments are released only to eligible beneficiaries.
Officials further stated that approval has also been sought from the Finance Division for a revised financial model under which NADRA may waive or reduce certain charges related to the Proof of Life system through optimized integration of POLC and FRC services.

Authorities believe the initiative could become one of Pakistan’s largest digitally integrated pension authentication systems by combining biometric verification, facial recognition, banking integration, and centralized national identity databases.

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