PM seeks roadmap to fully cashless economy

The prime minister has asked authorities to create a roadmap for moving Pakistan toward a fully cashless or digital payments economy. The plan is linked to a broader goal of making digital payments available across the country, not just inside government offices. He also stressed the need for countrywide internet access to support that transition.

The first clearly scheduled change concerns Asaan Assignment Accounts, or AAA payments. The government plans to stop using cheques for these payments and route them only through Raast from November 16. This makes Raast the initial channel for a specific government payment stream.

The headlines do not provide the roadmap’s timetable, targets, or implementation details. They do show a two-part approach: begin with AAA payments, then plan a wider national shift. Success would depend on internet access, working payment services, and participation by public institutions, financial providers, businesses, and citizens.

Raast is Pakistan’s national instant-payment system. The source headlines identify it as the channel that will replace cheques for Asaan Assignment Account payments, but they do not define its technical design. In established usage, Raast enables electronic transfers between participating financial institutions and payment users.

A person or institution generally sends money through a bank account, mobile wallet, or connected payment application. The provider authenticates the sender, routes the instruction through the payment system, and credits the recipient electronically. This removes the need to print, deliver, deposit, and process a paper cheque.

The planned AAA shift shows how the system may be used in practice. Payments that currently rely on cheques would go through Raast from November 16. The wider rollout would still require reliable access, participating providers, and users able to hold and operate suitable digital accounts.

A “100pc digital payments system” would be broader than a programme covering only government disbursements. The prime minister’s request for countrywide internet access suggests a national ambition, involving the infrastructure needed for people and institutions to make digital payments in many settings. The wording does not identify a restricted government-only boundary.

Government payments are the clearest immediate example. Asaan Assignment Account payments are scheduled to move from cheques to Raast from November 16. A fully developed system could also involve ordinary purchases, business payments, transfers, and other transactions, using banks or digital payment providers rather than cash or paper instruments.

However, the source does not provide a formal definition of “100pc,” a sector-by-sector timetable, or a list of covered transactions. Therefore, the safest reading is an economy-wide target, with AAA payments as an initial practical step. The roadmap would need to clarify scope, deadlines, and exemptions.

Asaan Assignment Accounts, abbreviated as AAA accounts, are named in the headlines as the accounts whose payments will change first. The source does not explain how these accounts operate, who receives their funds, or which government programmes use them. It establishes only that AAA payments are an existing government payment category.

The planned mechanism is straightforward: cheque-based AAA payments will be stopped, and payments will be sent through Raast from November 16. In practical terms, the payment instruction would be handled electronically instead of being written, delivered, deposited, and cleared as a paper cheque. Raast would become the required payment route.

The likely reason is to support the government’s wider digital-payments and cashless-economy plan. Faster electronic handling, easier digital records, and less paper processing are established advantages of digital payments, but the source does not state the government’s specific justification. The roadmap should explain the operating rules and protections.

If cheque payments were stopped, people and businesses receiving covered funds would need a usable digital payment route. Government offices would also have to issue, approve, record, and reconcile payments electronically. The change would make digital access a practical requirement rather than an optional convenience for those transactions.

For example, an AAA payment due to a recipient could no longer be handed over or processed as a cheque. It would need to travel through Raast using an eligible bank or payment account. Offices would need accurate recipient details, secure approval procedures, and systems that can confirm whether the payment succeeded or failed.

Digital payments can reduce paper handling and make transactions easier to track, but compulsory use can create difficulties where internet, electricity, devices, accounts, or support are unavailable. The source confirms the planned cheque-to-Raast shift, but does not specify exemptions, protections, implementation support, or penalties.

Government agencies would set rules, move their payment processes online, and ensure departments can issue and verify digital transfers. Banks would connect accounts to the payment system, while mobile-wallet providers would support users who rely on wallets rather than conventional bank accounts. These institutions would also need customer support and safeguards.

Telecom companies would provide the connectivity that lets payment applications and account services work. Internet access matters especially because the prime minister called for it across the country. Ordinary users, businesses, and government recipients would need suitable accounts, phones or other access methods, accurate payment details, and confidence using digital channels.

No single actor can complete the transition alone. A failed network, unavailable account, or weak government process could interrupt payment. The source names the government’s roadmap, Raast, internet access, and AAA payments, but does not assign detailed responsibilities. The roadmap would need to coordinate these actors and set practical standards.

Nationwide internet access lets users reach banks, wallets, and payment applications, including Raast. Reliable electricity keeps phones, network equipment, bank systems, and government offices operating. Without either service, a digital payment may be delayed or impossible, especially outside major urban areas.

Bank or mobile accounts give people and institutions somewhere to send and receive funds. Secure digital identity helps providers confirm who is authorising a payment and who should receive it. Together, these foundations reduce mistaken payments and make it possible to connect transactions with legitimate account holders. They are basic requirements for a system that replaces cheques and cash.

The prime minister explicitly stressed countrywide internet access, while the source does not discuss electricity, account ownership, or digital identity. Those requirements follow from how digital payments generally work. The proposed roadmap therefore needs to address access, reliability, security, and inclusion, not only the payment platform itself.