Pakistan Eyes Cashless Economy as PM Forms High Level Digital Reform Committee
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a high-level committee to promote a cashless economy and speed up the country’s digital transformation. Chaired by the prime minister himself, the committee will review progress on digital economy initiatives and reforms on a weekly basis.
During the meeting, PM Shehbaz emphasized that digitizing the economy is a top government priority. He called for strong policy actions to encourage digital money transfers and payments, while discouraging informal cash-based transactions.
He also pointed out that several measures were proposed in the 2025–26 federal budget to support this shift towards a cashless economy.
Referring to successful implementations, the PM highlighted how digital wallets were used during Ramazan to transparently deliver funds to rightful beneficiaries, eliminating manual interference and ensuring efficient aid delivery.
He further stated that improvements in economic indicators have led to a decline in inflation and an increase in foreign remittances. “The bullish trend in the stock market reflects investor confidence in our economic direction,” he said.
The meeting was briefed on the government’s ongoing efforts, including digital payment instructions issued to traders, and coordination between the Finance and IT Ministries.
Federal Ministers Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ahad Khan Cheema, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, FBR Chairman, and other top officials attended the session.
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