Islamabad Set to Become Pakistan’s First Fully Cashless City; December 31 Deadline Announced
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to transform Islamabad into Pakistan’s first fully cashless city and a model digital capital, setting December 31, 2026, as the final deadline for bringing all traders and businesses into the digital payment system.
As part of the initiative, no cash payments will be accepted at any department of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration or the Capital Development Authority (CDA) after November 30. All government fees and dues will have to be paid through digital channels.
The decision was discussed at a meeting chaired by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry to review progress on the Cashless Islamabad initiative. CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf, representatives of the banking sector and other senior officials attended the meeting.
Addressing the participants, Talal Chaudhry said work on the project was progressing rapidly on the special directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. He emphasised that consultation and recommendations from all stakeholders were essential to ensuring the initiative’s complete success.
The minister said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had promised the prime minister that Islamabad would become Pakistan’s first cashless city. The government now aims to make the federal capital the world’s first fully cashless capital.
Explaining the implementation plan, Talal Chaudhry said the first phase would begin after November 30, when all departments of the ICT administration and CDA would stop accepting cash from citizens and visitors. Payments of all government fees and outstanding dues would instead be made through digital methods.
In the second phase, the government aims to bring all small and large traders in the federal capital into the cashless system by December 31, 2026.
The minister revealed that around 26,000 traders in Islamabad had already been connected to digital payment services. Over the coming weeks, QR codes and other digital payment facilities would be introduced across all levels of business, ranging from street vendors to major shopping malls and commercial centres.
Highlighting the benefits of the initiative, Talal Chaudhry said the cashless system would make financial transactions faster and more convenient while improving financial transparency and tax monitoring across the economy.
He added that all relevant government institutions and the private sector would work together to transform Islamabad into a modern digital city.
Banking sector representatives attending the meeting welcomed the government’s initiative, describing it as a significant step towards the digitalisation of Pakistan’s economy. They also assured the government of their full cooperation in completing the project on time and providing traders and consumers with the necessary digital payment facilities.
